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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: swing · rest · wax · degree · mate · game · press · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. swing — in golf
  3. game — a match
  4. drill — a practice
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mate — a friend
  7. drill — army training
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mate — to breed
  13. swing — music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rest — a break
  17. press — a publisher
  18. swing — to play on
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rest — what's left
  22. degree — an amount
  23. press — to push
  24. game — wild animals

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