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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
468
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: wax · mark · bowl · kid · plane · dip · can · degree

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mark — a grade
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. plane — a tool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. dip — to sink
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wax — to grow
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. can — a tin
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. can — a tin
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kid — child

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