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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: cold · perch · wax · fine · board · bear · leaves · degree

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. degree — an amount
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. perch — the fish
  12. degree — from a university
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fine — all right
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. board — a committee
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wax — to grow
  24. board — to get on

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