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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 · degree · pop · mark · scale · fan · wax · bat

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mark — a trace
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rash — a series
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — in music
  24. fan — to cool the air

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