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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: last · wax · degree · spell · game · bore · deal · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. last — to go on
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. last — finally
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wax — to grow
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. spell — magic
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. spell — a short time
  19. last — final
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. game — a match
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. spell — letters

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