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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wax — to grow
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. degree — temperature
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bank — of a river
  8. degree — an amount
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. key — in music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. key — the most important part
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. deal — to handle
  16. season — in sport
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tube — a container
  20. bank — for money
  21. season — of the year
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. degree — from a university

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