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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: degree · staff · wax · club · rock · game · stick · temple

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. staff — employees
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a match
  6. club — for dancing
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wax — to grow
  12. degree — from a university
  13. staff — employees
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. degree — temperature
  16. club — for golf
  17. staff — a stick
  18. club — a group
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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