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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: net · mouse · key · degree · tear · mug · wax · chair

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. key — the most important part
  4. net — for catching
  5. key — in music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. net — in sport
  9. degree — temperature
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tear — to rip
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chair — a leader
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. degree — from a university
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. net — after costs

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