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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: degree · racket · perch · roll · lie · wax · club · bass

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bass — low music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. roll — a list
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. degree — from a university
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. degree — temperature
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. roll — a cake
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bass — the fish

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