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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: patient · bore · march · degree · staff · rule · bowl · wax

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. staff — employees
  8. bore — to tire
  9. degree — from a university
  10. march — music
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rule — government
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bore — to drill
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wax — to grow
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — an amount
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rule — a law

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