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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.

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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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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: prune · pitcher · press · rule · march · degree · wax · can

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. press — newspapers
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wax — to grow
  6. degree — an amount
  7. can — a tin
  8. press — to push
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — the month
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rule — a law
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rule — government
  23. degree — from a university
  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