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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · degree · wax · sharp · bear · dip · jam · toast

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. degree — an amount
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. face — to confront
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. face — part of the head
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bear — the animal
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bear — the animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. face — to point toward
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. degree — temperature
  22. toast — bread
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. toast — the most admired

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