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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 120 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: can · degree · wax · wind · stem · last · pit · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stem — to come from
  4. last — to go on
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. object — to protest
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wind — moving air
  14. last — finally
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. degree — an amount
  18. can — a tin
  19. pit — a hole
  20. last — final
  21. can — a tin
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. object — a thing
  24. wind — to turn a key

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