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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wax — to grow
  3. degree — temperature
  4. band — a ring
  5. degree — from a university
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. band — a music group
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mine — for digging
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. degree — an amount
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. band — a rubber band

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