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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: bore · date · lash · nail · scale · degree · wax · pound

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pound — a weight
  10. scale — size or range
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. scale — in music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. nail — for a hammer

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