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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · rock · wax · rest · spell · roll · degree · stem

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. spell — magic
  3. rest — what's left
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rest — a break
  7. stem — to come from
  8. rock — a stone
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rock — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — music
  23. spell — letters
  24. degree — temperature

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