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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. can — a tin
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wax — to grow
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. deal — to handle
  10. object — an aim
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. sharp — clever
  15. object — to protest
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. can — a tin
  18. band — a ring
  19. degree — temperature
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. degree — from a university
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. object — a thing

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