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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: face · swing · degree · cabinet · mouse · wax · fall · band

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. swing — music
  4. fall — the season
  5. face — to confront
  6. fall — to drop
  7. face — to point toward
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. degree — temperature
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. face — part of the head
  18. band — a ring
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. degree — from a university
  21. band — a music group
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — in golf

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