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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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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. degree — temperature
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. degree — from a university
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. degree — an amount
  9. track — a song
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mark — a grade
  13. march — the month
  14. spring — of water
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — the season
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. track — a path
  19. spring — a coil
  20. root — of a plant
  21. track — to keep track
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. march — music

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