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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
468
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 · rash · game · perch · fall · wax · bear · hide

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bear — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — a series
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rash — hasty
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — an amount
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bear — the animal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wax — to grow

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