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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bound — certain
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bound — tied together
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mate — to breed
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. game — a match
  21. mate — a friend
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wax — to grow

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