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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · season · wax · staff · board · track · squash · pass

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. board — a committee
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. track — a song
  6. pass — a permit
  7. staff — employees
  8. season — of the year
  9. wax — to grow
  10. board — to get on
  11. squash — to crush
  12. staff — a stick
  13. degree — from a university
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. staff — employees
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. board — a flat piece

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