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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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. degree — temperature
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fall — the season
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fall — to drop
  15. shower — rain
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. saw — the tool
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. shower — to wash
  24. firm — a company

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