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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: bore · bay · degree · foot · ground · game · wax · hand

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. foot — a measure
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. degree — temperature
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ground — a position
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. game — a match
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. hand — help
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bore — to tire
  24. game — wild animals

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