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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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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: pitcher · swing · bound · wax · degree · mark · craft · hand

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bound — tied together
  5. degree — from a university
  6. hand — in cards
  7. swing — music
  8. mark — a grade
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bound — obliged
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mark — a trace
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. craft — boats
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bound — certain
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. hand — help
  23. degree — an amount
  24. craft — a handicraft

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