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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: season · wax · race · face · mark · bowl · fine · degree

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. season — in sport
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wax — to grow
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fine — all right
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mark — a trace
  23. race — humankind
  24. degree — an amount

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