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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 120 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: root · deal · band · ground · wax · degree · present · fine

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. band — a music group
  3. ground — the earth
  4. root — the cause
  5. present — there
  6. degree — temperature
  7. root — of a word
  8. degree — from a university
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. band — a ring
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wax — to grow
  19. ground — a position
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fine — high quality
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wax — in the ear

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