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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: foot · wax · capital · cell · degree · arm · suit · present

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. suit — to fit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. capital — a city
  6. present — there
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. capital — money
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. present — a gift
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. present — the time now
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. suit — clothes
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. suit — in cards
  20. cell — in biology
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cell — a phone
  24. arm — 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