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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · firm · wind · lash · ruler · wax

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wax — to grow
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. firm — a company
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. firm — steady
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. firm — decided
  18. ruler — for measuring

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