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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.

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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 · safe · lean · ground · bank · hand · nail · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. degree — an amount
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wax — to grow
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. ground — a position
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hand — help
  14. lean — thin
  15. bank — for money
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. degree — from a university
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — to bend
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bank — for money

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