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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: cabinet · rock · last · key · degree · temple · wax · cold

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. key — in music
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. key — the most important part
  9. last — to go on
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rock — music
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cold — not warm
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. last — finally
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cabinet — ministers

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