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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: mouse · wax · temple · file · degree · straw · wound · fine

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fine — all right
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — temperature
  13. file — a line of people
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. file — a tool
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a document
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. degree — from a university

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