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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: march · perch · degree · rule · kick · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kick — in football
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rule — a law
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. degree — temperature
  14. march — music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rule — government
  18. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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