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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 116 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: deal · bay · press · race · lean · degree · season · wax

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. season — of the year
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. race — a contest
  20. season — in sport
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. degree — from a university

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