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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.

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: rock · squash · degree · object · patient · wax · clip · bank

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. degree — an amount
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. object — a thing
  10. rock — a stone
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. squash — to crush
  15. clip — a video
  16. squash — the sport
  17. object — an aim
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bank — of a river
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bank — for money
  24. rock — music

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