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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: leaves · cue · degree · ruler · bound · toast · wax · bat

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bound — obliged
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bat — the animal
  10. toast — bread
  11. bound — certain
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ruler — for measuring

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