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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: rash · content · stand · bore · wax · degree · net · mine

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bore — to tire
  11. content — the amount
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bore — to drill
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rash — a series
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rash — hasty
  22. content — happy
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bore — gave birth

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