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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. shower — rain
  3. bank — for money
  4. pop — soda
  5. court — of law
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. court — for sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. pop — to visit
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of a king
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pop — music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fan — a supporter

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