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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: wound · fine · rest · wax · fork · lash · degree · object

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fork — in a road
  3. object — a thing
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. rest — a break
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fine — all right
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wax — for sculpting

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