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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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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: wax · stand · last · staff · pop · degree · mark · season

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. season — of the year
  4. last — final
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mark — a grade
  7. last — finally
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — to visit
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stand — to bear
  17. staff — employees
  18. pop — music
  19. season — in sport
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. staff — a stick
  23. degree — an amount
  24. last — to go on

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