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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wax — to grow
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. club — a group
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. last — final
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. can — a tin
  20. club — for golf
  21. can — to be able to
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. can — a tin
  24. mate — a partner

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