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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 116 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: season · race · ball · mine · cue · wax · degree · lean

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. season — in sport
  6. degree — temperature
  7. race — a contest
  8. season — of the year
  9. lean — thin
  10. race — humankind
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cue — for pool
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mine — for digging

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