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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: degree · wax · fine · patient · cap · last · lash · track

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fine — all right
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cap — a lid
  11. track — a path
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cap — a hat
  15. last — finally
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. track — a song
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. last — final
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — to keep track
  22. last — to go on
  23. fine — high quality
  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