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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: march · saw · wave · bear · net · degree · wax · rash

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. degree — temperature
  3. net — for catching
  4. bear — the animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. wax — to grow
  16. degree — an amount
  17. net — after costs
  18. rash — a series
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rash — hasty

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