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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: wax · file · spell · racket · cap · degree · mate · branch

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. branch — a division
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. degree — an amount
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spell — letters
  12. mate — a friend
  13. spell — magic
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. file — a document
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mate — a partner
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — from a university
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mate — to breed
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. spell — a short time
  24. racket — for tennis

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