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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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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 · squash · kick · firm · fork · mine · wax · rule

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. firm — steady
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rule — government
  7. kick — in football
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mine — for digging
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rule — a law
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. squash — to crush
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mine — an explosive

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