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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: snap · drill · wax · squash · fine · lean · degree · pitcher

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. snap — to click
  3. fine — high quality
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fine — all right
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. drill — army training
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lean — thin
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. degree — temperature
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lean — to rest against

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