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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: present · jam · bay · band · can · patient · degree · wax

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. band — a music group
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. degree — from a university
  14. present — a gift
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wax — to grow
  17. can — a tin
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. band — a ring
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. degree — an amount
  24. jam — a tight spot

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