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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. degree — from a university
  6. race — humankind
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. band — a ring
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wax — to grow
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. toast — bread
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. band — a music group
  20. race — a contest
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. race — the arms race
  24. toast — the most admired

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