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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: degree · wax · court · bowl · mouse · band · track · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a music group
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. track — a song
  15. court — of law
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. band — a ring
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. degree — from a university
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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