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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. sharp — clever
  3. key — the most important part
  4. band — a music group
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. degree — temperature
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. degree — from a university
  14. track — a song
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. degree — an amount
  18. season — of the year
  19. band — a ring
  20. key — in music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. season — in sport
  23. key — for a lock
  24. track — a path

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