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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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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: wax · bear · prune · degree · pass · arm · fan · racket

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pass — a permit
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. prune — to trim
  24. racket — for tennis

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