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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: prune · safe · row · charge · wax · capital · craft · degree

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. craft — boats
  3. degree — from a university
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. prune — to trim
  7. craft — a skill
  8. capital — a city
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. charge — a price
  11. wax — to grow
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. row — a line
  16. charge — in control
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. degree — an amount
  19. charge — electricity
  20. degree — temperature
  21. row — to paddle
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. prune — the fruit

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