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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. season — in sport
  7. degree — temperature
  8. shower — rain
  9. key — in music
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. key — for a lock
  12. degree — an amount
  13. key — the most important part
  14. band — a music group
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wake — a trail
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pass — a permit
  21. shower — to wash
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — of the year
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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