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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: foot · march · saw · spell · pound · degree · squash · wax

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. degree — temperature
  5. squash — the sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. degree — from a university
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. march — the month
  14. saw — the tool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. pound — a weight
  18. march — music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spell — letters
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. march — the month
  24. pound — to hit hard

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