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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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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: degree · wax · bulb · wake · stem · branch · squash · board

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. board — to get on
  3. degree — temperature
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wake — a trail
  6. board — a committee
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. squash — the sport
  17. branch — a division
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bulb — for light
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stem — of a plant

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