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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 116 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
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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: degree · press · fine · board · wax · cap · wound · mate

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wax — to grow
  5. board — a committee
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. board — to get on
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — a friend
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cap — of ice

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