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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: wax · tear · rush · field · degree · rule · lash · bark

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. field — for sport
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. degree — temperature
  5. tear — to rip
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rule — government
  8. field — farmland
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bark — to shout
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wax — to grow
  16. field — a subject
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. rule — a law
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rule — to rule out

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