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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: hand · degree · pit · temple · firm · roll · wax · spell

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. spell — a short time
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. spell — letters
  13. pit — a hole
  14. roll — a cake
  15. hand — in cards
  16. roll — a list
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. firm — decided
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pit — in a race
  22. degree — temperature
  23. hand — help
  24. spell — magic

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