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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 120 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: rush · object · racket · degree · rest · wind · file · wax

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. degree — from a university
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — moving air
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. file — a tool
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. object — an aim
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rest — a break

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