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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: rest · rule · wax · ball · degree · wind · scale · present

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rule — a law
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ball — a great time
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. present — a gift
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. present — there
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. degree — from a university
  21. scale — in music
  22. present — the time now
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wax — to grow

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