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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: charge · straw · firm · wax · root · degree · present · prune

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. root — of a plant
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — decided
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. present — the time now
  8. degree — temperature
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. root — the cause
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. firm — steady
  17. present — a gift
  18. degree — from a university
  19. present — there
  20. root — of a word
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. charge — in control
  23. prune — to trim
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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