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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: prune · coach · last · wax · degree · season · straw · can

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. degree — temperature
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. degree — an amount
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. prune — to trim
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. can — a tin
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. degree — from a university
  14. prune — to trim
  15. last — finally
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wax — to grow

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