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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: tube · wax · stem · object · roll · degree · saw · bark

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a list
  3. degree — an amount
  4. roll — a cake
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. tube — a container
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. object — to protest
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wax — to grow
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. object — a thing
  20. tube — the underground
  21. object — an aim
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. saw — the tool

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