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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · wax · capital · game · degree · rash · straw · cap

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rash — a series
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cap — a lid
  8. root — of a word
  9. degree — an amount
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cap — of ice
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. capital — money
  14. rash — hasty
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cap — a hat
  17. root — the cause
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. capital — a city
  23. wax — to grow
  24. capital — a big letter

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