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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. key — in music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wax — to grow
  5. drill — army training
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. drill — a practice
  9. face — part of the head
  10. row — to paddle
  11. last — finally
  12. band — a ring
  13. key — for a lock
  14. last — to go on
  15. degree — from a university
  16. face — to point toward
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. face — to confront
  19. band — a music group
  20. degree — an amount
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. row — a line
  24. last — final

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