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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: present · roll · bulb · tear · track · lash · wax · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wax — to grow
  3. degree — from a university
  4. roll — a list
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — a song
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. tear — to rip
  18. present — the time now
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. track — a path
  23. roll — a cake
  24. degree — an amount

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