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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: wax · rest · jam · face · degree · row · roll · firm

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. face — to point toward
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rest — a break
  6. degree — from a university
  7. firm — decided
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. firm — a company
  12. roll — a list
  13. row — to paddle
  14. roll — a cake
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — to grow
  18. firm — steady
  19. face — to confront
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. row — a line
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. face — part of the head

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