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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. scale — in music
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — size or range
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mark — a trace
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mark — a grade
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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