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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · degree · wax · fine · firm · fan

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mate — to breed
  4. firm — steady
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mate — a partner
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. degree — temperature

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