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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 120 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: degree · hand · band · wax · march · cabinet · dip · season

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. dip — to sink
  4. degree — an amount
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — music
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. degree — from a university
  13. season — in sport
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. hand — help
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a music group
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — the month
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. hand — part of the body

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