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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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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: safe · rule · pound · land · wax · kick · march · degree

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pound — a weight
  7. land — to come down
  8. rule — government
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. land — a country
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wax — to grow
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kick — in football
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. land — ground
  20. march — music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pound — for dogs

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