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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · wax · tube · ball · season · degree · bear · file

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a document
  12. tube — a container
  13. season — of the year
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tube — the underground
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bear — the animal
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. tube — in a tire

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