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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · face · chair · foot · club · degree · wax · prune

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wax — to grow
  6. degree — temperature
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. face — to confront
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. face — part of the head
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. club — for dancing
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. club — a group
  23. prune — to trim
  24. foot — a measure

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com