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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: last · saw · degree · lie · swing · wax · stick · spring

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. saw — the tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spring — the season
  8. degree — from a university
  9. lie — to recline
  10. last — to go on
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. last — finally
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — of water
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wax — to grow
  24. last — final

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