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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: degree · bank · cap · plane · net · snap · wax · ball

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. net — after costs
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cap — a lid
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — from a university
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bank — of a river
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. net — in sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cap — a hat
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bank — for money

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