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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 · nail · degree · staff · drill · scale · press · game

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a match
  3. degree — from a university
  4. staff — employees
  5. scale — in music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. drill — army training
  8. degree — an amount
  9. press — newspapers
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. staff — a stick
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. degree — temperature
  19. staff — employees
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. press — to push
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. scale — size or range

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