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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: degree · bowl · present · wax · straw · can · swing · chair

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. swing — in golf
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. can — to be able to
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. swing — music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. present — there
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. present — a gift
  22. wax — to grow
  23. chair — a leader
  24. present — the time now

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