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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: wax · ruler · degree · field · club · wound · scale · stand

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. scale — in music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. field — a subject
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. field — farmland
  19. scale — size or range
  20. degree — temperature
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. club — for dancing
  24. field — for 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