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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wax · rash · mug · degree · key · fan · bat · tear

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. key — for a lock
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bat — the animal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — temperature
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mug — a face
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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