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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: wave · wax · track · degree · racket · rush · bass · bore

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bass — low music
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bass — the fish
  6. track — a path
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. track — a song
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bore — to drill
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bore — to tire
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rush — hurry

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