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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: patient · wax · wave · season · mug · degree · pop · file

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a tool
  3. pop — soda
  4. degree — an amount
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. degree — from a university
  9. file — a document
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. file — a line of people
  12. season — in sport
  13. mug — a face
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wax — to grow
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. season — of the year
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. degree — temperature

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