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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 my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stock — goods
  5. degree — an amount
  6. can — a tin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bank — for money
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. can — a tin
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. scale — size or range
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. stock — shares
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bank — of a river
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bank — for money

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