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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: wax · chest · bark · safe · dip · degree · mark · scale

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. scale — in music
  3. chest — a box
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. dip — to sink
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. degree — temperature
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mark — a trace
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bark — to shout
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chest — of your body
  24. scale — size or range

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