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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: wax · spring · degree · bat · temple · straw · stick · craft

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. craft — a skill
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spring — the season
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. craft — boats
  14. wax — to grow
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. degree — from a university
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. degree — an amount

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