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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 · firm · game · pass · wax · bank · band · dip

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. game — wild animals
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. game — a match
  6. band — a music group
  7. firm — a company
  8. band — a ring
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. wax — to grow
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pass — a permit
  16. firm — decided
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. firm — steady
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wax — for sculpting

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