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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rest — a break
  12. degree — from a university
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. degree — an amount
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. club — for golf
  20. rest — what's left
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ball — a great time

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