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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 120 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: degree · temple · drill · stem · wax · spring · track · can

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. spring — the season
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. drill — a practice
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stem — to come from
  11. track — a path
  12. can — a tin
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wax — to grow
  15. degree — an amount
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — from a university
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. drill — the tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. spring — of water
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. drill — army training

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