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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · wax · degree · row · wave · net · plane · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. spell — letters
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. degree — temperature
  7. net — in sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. degree — from a university
  10. row — to paddle
  11. degree — an amount
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. row — a line
  17. plane — a tool
  18. spell — a short time
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. spell — magic
  24. plane — an aircraft

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