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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 120 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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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: band · wax · cue · trunk · lie · degree · fall · squash

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fall — the season
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cue — a signal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fall — to drop
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fall — to drop
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. degree — from a university
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. band — a rubber band

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