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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: bear · cue · coach · wax · degree · bank · ruler · clip

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. cue — for pool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bank — of a river
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. clip — a video
  11. bank — for money
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ruler — a monarch

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