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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.

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: season · wake · wax · wave · spell · degree · cap · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. spell — letters
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spell — a short time
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wake — a trail
  8. season — in sport
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. season — of the year
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cap — a hat
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cap — of ice
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spell — magic
  24. wax — for sculpting

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