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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.

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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: cabinet · wax · bear · lie · rush · mine · pitch · degree

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pitch — completely
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wax — to grow
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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