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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fall — the season
  3. wax — to grow
  4. degree — temperature
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cue — a hint
  7. can — a tin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. degree — an amount
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mark — a grade
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cue — for pool
  24. can — a tin

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