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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: wax · band · rash · charge · lash · tear · cue · degree

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. charge — a price
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rash — a series
  5. band — a ring
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. tear — to rip
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. charge — in control
  17. degree — from a university
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. charge — electricity
  24. tear — from crying

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