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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · scale · bear · degree · file · wax · season · current

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. scale — in music
  3. current — happening now
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. file — a line of people
  7. current — of water
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. degree — temperature
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. season — in sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bear — the animal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. degree — an amount
  22. current — electric
  23. season — of the year
  24. degree — from a university

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