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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: bay · file · band · cap · wax · degree · last · hide

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — a lid
  5. degree — temperature
  6. band — a music group
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. file — a document
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. degree — from a university
  12. last — to go on
  13. degree — an amount
  14. last — final
  15. band — a ring
  16. wax — to grow
  17. file — a tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. last — finally
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cap — of ice
  24. file — a line of people

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