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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 116 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: drill · shower · cap · deal · wax · key · degree · coach

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cap — a lid
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. key — in music
  7. degree — from a university
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. shower — rain
  11. wax — to grow
  12. drill — army training
  13. degree — an amount
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. key — the most important part
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. key — for a lock
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cap — a hat
  22. drill — a practice
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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