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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: straw · pass · season · deal · stem · wax · kid · degree

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. degree — from a university
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. season — of the year
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. deal — to handle
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pass — a permit
  21. degree — temperature
  22. season — in sport
  23. kid — to tease
  24. deal — a big deal

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