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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: temple · row · degree · mouse · wax · field · sharp · spell

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. sharp — clever
  11. degree — an amount
  12. row — to paddle
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. wax — to grow
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spell — letters
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. field — for sport

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