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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: degree · lash · temple · wax · wake · can · rash · arm

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. can — to be able to
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rash — hasty
  15. can — a tin
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rash — a series
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. can — a tin

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