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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: degree · pound · lie · wax · hand · jam · wave · nail

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. hand — in cards
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pound — a weight
  13. lie — to recline
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hand — help
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wax — to grow

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