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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.

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: bear · wax · degree · capital · rock · season · march · fork

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rock — music
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. march — music
  8. capital — a city
  9. season — in sport
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bear — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. capital — money
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bear — the animal
  22. season — of the year
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. capital — a big letter

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