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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: hide · degree · lash · fall · wax · file · key · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wax — to grow
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fall — the season
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mug — to rob
  13. file — a document
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. file — a line of people
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fall — to drop
  23. degree — from a university
  24. file — a tool

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