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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: can · wax · degree · hand · shower · row · cue · track

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. degree — temperature
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — in cards
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hand — help
  8. row — to paddle
  9. shower — rain
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. shower — to wash
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wax — to grow
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wax — for sculpting

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