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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: stem · bore · degree · firm · key · wax · pitcher · march

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wax — to grow
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. firm — decided
  7. key — for a lock
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bore — to tire
  17. march — the month
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. firm — steady
  22. degree — from a university
  23. firm — a company
  24. key — in music

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