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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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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wax — to grow
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. snap — to click
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. degree — an amount

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