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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: wax · pound · degree · ruler · mark · face · plane · deal

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wax — to grow
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mark — a trace
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mark — a grade
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. face — to confront
  15. pound — a weight
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. face — to point toward
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mark — to pay attention

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