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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: tube · ruler · rule · wax · cabinet · mate · degree · bat

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rule — government
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rule — a law
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. degree — an amount
  22. tube — a container
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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