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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: clip · wax · board · degree · rule · plane · date · ball

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. clip — for paper
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. clip — a video
  8. rule — government
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. plane — a tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. clip — to cut
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. ball — a dance
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rule — a law
  24. degree — from a university

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