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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 120 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: rule · wax · degree · root · cap · stock · mine · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stock — shares
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cap — of ice
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stock — goods
  12. root — of a word
  13. degree — temperature
  14. root — the cause
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rule — a law
  17. mine — for digging
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rule — government

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