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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.

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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: band · bear · chip · wax · degree · spell · chair · cue

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cue — for pool
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bear — the animal
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. degree — from a university
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. degree — an amount
  21. band — a ring
  22. chip — to eat
  23. band — a music group
  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