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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: perch · wax · cue · key · foot · pitcher · prune · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cue — a hint
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. key — the most important part
  14. foot — a measure
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. key — in music
  18. cue — a signal
  19. key — for a lock
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cue — for pool
  23. perch — the fish
  24. prune — to trim

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