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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 · hand · degree · object · bay · date · rest · bank

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. date — the fruit
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. object — an aim
  5. hand — help
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rest — a break
  12. bank — of a river
  13. object — a thing
  14. rest — what's left
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bank — for money
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. degree — from a university
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. object — to protest
  23. bank — for money
  24. wax — to grow

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