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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bowl · leaves · lean · staff · wax · temple · band · degree

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. degree — an amount
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. band — a music group
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lean — to bend
  17. degree — from a university
  18. staff — employees
  19. degree — temperature
  20. band — a ring
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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