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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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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: board · wax · bore · degree · cap · chair · chest · deal

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. deal — to handle
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. board — a committee
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chest — a box
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. degree — an amount
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cap — of ice
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cap — a hat

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