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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: saw · wax · bass · degree · rest · toast · cue · kid

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. degree — temperature
  9. saw — the tool
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. kid — to tease
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rest — what's left
  16. saw — the tool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. toast — bread
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. kid — child
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bass — low music

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