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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · bound · scale · bay · wax · degree · clip · prune

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stand — to bear
  3. prune — to trim
  4. clip — a video
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. clip — for paper
  7. degree — from a university
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wax — to grow
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bound — certain
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. degree — an amount
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. scale — in music
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bound — tied together
  23. degree — temperature
  24. prune — to trim

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