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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: cabinet · stock · degree · wax · mine · lie · chest · wake

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stock — shares
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chest — a box
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stock — goods
  24. chest — of your body

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