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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: bay · pass · wax · spring · degree · chest · temple · squash

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. chest — a box
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. spring — of water
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chest — of your body
  14. squash — to crush
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spring — the season
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. spring — a coil
  24. temple — a place of worship

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