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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 116 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: mine · wave · pass · wax · root · swing · degree · file

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. file — a document
  5. swing — music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. swing — in golf
  13. file — a tool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. root — the cause
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pass — a permit
  24. degree — from a university

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