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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: temple · prune · leaves · trunk · wax · degree · cabinet · branch

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. degree — an amount
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. branch — a division
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. degree — temperature
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. prune — to trim
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. degree — from a university

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