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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: object · firm · wax · race · toast · saw · degree · pitcher

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. object — to protest
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. degree — temperature
  6. object — an aim
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. race — humankind
  10. firm — a company
  11. degree — an amount
  12. object — a thing
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — a contest
  16. toast — bread
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — decided
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitcher — a jug

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