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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: net · ball · degree · chip · ground · wax · firm · track

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. degree — from a university
  5. net — for catching
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ground — the earth
  9. net — after costs
  10. track — a path
  11. firm — decided
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. ground — a position
  17. chip — for betting
  18. degree — temperature
  19. net — in sport
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ball — a dance

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