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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: rush · wax · tube · board · pass · ball · prune · degree

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — a committee
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pass — a permit
  6. tube — the underground
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. degree — temperature
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. ball — a great time
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. rush — hurry
  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