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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: chest · tear · degree · club · mark · dip · fine · wax

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. chest — a box
  3. club — for golf
  4. dip — to sink
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. degree — from a university
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wax — to grow
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. club — a group
  20. fine — all right
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mark — a grade
  23. tear — from crying
  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