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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. band — a music group
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mark — a trace
  8. band — a ring
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bass — the fish
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. degree — from a university
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mark — a grade
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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