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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: mark · wax · board · kid · net · wound · lash · degree

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. board — a committee
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. net — for catching
  6. mark — a grade
  7. degree — an amount
  8. kid — child
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. board — to get on
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lash — to lash out
  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