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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: perch · degree · wax · can · leaves · saw · bore · key

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. degree — an amount
  3. key — the most important part
  4. can — to be able to
  5. key — in music
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bore — to tire
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bore — to drill
  21. can — a tin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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