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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · degree · last · press · pass · wax · land · game

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. game — a match
  3. press — newspapers
  4. last — finally
  5. degree — an amount
  6. last — to go on
  7. spell — magic
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wax — to grow
  11. land — to come down
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. press — to push
  14. land — ground
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pass — a permit
  20. land — a country
  21. spell — letters
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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