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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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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: toast · wax · degree · charge · stand · chest · ruler · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. toast — bread
  3. charge — a price
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. charge — in control
  6. chest — of your body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chest — a box
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. charge — electricity
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. degree — from a university
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. snap — to click
  24. ruler — for measuring

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