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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: rock · ruler · wind · degree · mark · wax · bay · stock

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wax — to grow
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stock — goods
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stock — shares
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rock — music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. ruler — a monarch

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