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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pound · bat · land · cabinet · wax · degree · bass · spell

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spell — letters
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. spell — magic
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — low music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bat — the animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. land — ground
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pound — to hit hard

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