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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: ruler · pound · ground · degree · wound · wax · squash · face

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ground — crushed
  5. squash — the sport
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ground — a position
  8. pound — a weight
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. squash — to crush
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pound — to hit hard

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