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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 120 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: suit · cold · scale · wax · bass · lie · net · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. suit — to fit
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bass — the fish
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. suit — clothes
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. net — after costs
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bass — low music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. degree — from a university
  17. suit — in cards
  18. net — for catching
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. scale — in music
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — not warm
  24. net — in sport

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