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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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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: wax · degree · fork · rule · race · can

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. can — a tin
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rule — a law
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wax — to grow
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — government
  12. race — a contest
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fork — in a road
  18. can — to be able to

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