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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: net · current · wax · fork · degree · wound · lean · fall

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lean — thin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — of water
  8. net — for catching
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — in sport
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fall — the season
  13. current — electric
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. current — happening now
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fork — in a road
  23. net — after costs
  24. fork — to eat with

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