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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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468
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: degree · wound · stick · roll · wax · leaves · club · band

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. band — a ring
  9. club — a group
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wound — an injury
  13. club — for golf
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — an injury
  17. roll — a list
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. degree — temperature
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. band — a music group
  24. leaves — to go away

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