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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. land — ground
  4. present — there
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wax — to grow
  9. land — to come down
  10. present — a gift
  11. bound — obliged
  12. degree — an amount
  13. present — the time now
  14. bound — certain
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. land — a country
  18. season — of the year
  19. fall — to drop
  20. season — in sport
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. season — to add flavour

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