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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 · fine · roll · wake · wax · pitcher · can · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. roll — a list
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rush — hurry
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fine — all right
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. can — to be able to
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wake — a trail
  17. degree — temperature
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. roll — a cake
  24. can — a tin

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