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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. plane — a tool
  4. degree — from a university
  5. key — in music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. degree — an amount
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. key — the most important part
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. scale — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bat — the animal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. scale — size or range
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wax — to grow
  24. degree — temperature

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