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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rash — a series
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. degree — an amount
  8. clip — a video
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. clip — to cut
  18. tube — the underground
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tube — a container
  24. bear — to put up with

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