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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: lash · tear · degree · chair · mate · wax · vault · bear

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bear — the animal
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. degree — an amount
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mate — to breed
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mate — a friend
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mate — a partner

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