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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: degree · rule · club · wax · foot · present · toast · fan

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. present — a gift
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rule — a law
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — for golf
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. club — a group
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. present — there
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. toast — bread
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. present — the time now
  24. foot — a measure

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