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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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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 · foot · straw · snap · land · stick · bay · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. foot — a measure
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. land — to come down
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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