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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.

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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: band · root · degree · kick · wax · bore · cap · hand

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. band — a ring
  3. kick — in football
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. band — a music group
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bore — to drill
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cap — of ice
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — to grow
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. cap — a hat
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bore — to tire
  20. hand — in cards
  21. root — of a word
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. hand — help

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