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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.

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: degree · mouse · tear · hand · wake · wax · racket · trunk

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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. hand — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wake — a trail
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. hand — help
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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