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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: can · degree · clip · calf · wax · drill · wind · dip

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — a practice
  5. degree — an amount
  6. drill — the tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. wind — moving air
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. degree — temperature
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — army training
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. clip — for paper
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. degree — from a university

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