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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. present — a gift
  4. band — a ring
  5. degree — an amount
  6. present — the time now
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. band — a music group
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. present — there
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rash — hasty
  14. drill — a practice
  15. degree — from a university
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rash — a series
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. drill — army training
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. degree — temperature
  24. hand — help

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