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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: fine · bay · race · degree · toast · wax · arm · spring

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. spring — of water
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. degree — an amount
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — the season
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. toast — bread
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fine — all right
  15. degree — temperature
  16. race — humankind
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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