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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. firm — steady
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. degree — from a university
  5. file — a tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bank — for money
  8. degree — temperature
  9. firm — decided
  10. bank — of a river
  11. file — a document
  12. firm — a company
  13. bank — for money
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. court — of law
  16. file — a line of people
  17. degree — an amount
  18. snap — to click
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. court — for sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. court — of a king
  23. wax — to grow
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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