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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: rash · stand · season · leaves · degree · wax · wake · wound

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wax — to grow
  11. stand — to bear
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rash — hasty
  17. season — in sport
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rash — a series
  20. wound — an injury
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wake — a trail

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