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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 120 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: rock · wax · degree · leaves · squash · suit · stem · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. suit — to fit
  3. squash — to crush
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rock — music
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rock — a stone
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stem — to come from
  21. suit — clothes
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wax — to grow
  24. degree — an amount

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