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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: temple · cap · march · trunk · foot · pit · wax · degree

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. degree — an amount
  3. march — the month
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. march — music
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cap — a hat
  14. degree — from a university
  15. march — the month
  16. foot — a measure
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pit — in a race
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cap — a lid

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