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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · bound · wake · wax · drill · degree · cabinet · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. degree — temperature
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. drill — the tool
  19. spell — magic
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bat — for baseball
  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