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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 120 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: degree · current · net · wax · perch · bass · march · fork

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. degree — an amount
  5. current — of water
  6. net — in sport
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. current — happening now
  15. net — after costs
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bass — the fish
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bass — low music
  21. net — for catching
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. current — electric

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