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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: wax · fan · key · board · degree · roll · net · stand

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. net — after costs
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — an amount
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. board — a committee
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stand — to bear
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. board — to get on
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wax — to grow
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. roll — a list

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