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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: ground · drill · wax · ball · stem · stand · pass · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stand — to bear
  5. drill — a practice
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ball — a dance
  9. drill — army training
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. drill — the tool
  24. ground — a position

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