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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 116 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 · wax · current · pop · calf · trunk · pass · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wax — to grow
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — from a university
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. degree — temperature
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pop — soda
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. current — electric

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