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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: wax · march · press · fine · saw · bass · degree · ground

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bass — the fish
  6. march — the month
  7. degree — from a university
  8. march — music
  9. press — to push
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bass — low music
  12. press — a publisher
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fine — all right
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — a position
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wax — to grow
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — crushed

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