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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bound — tied together
  6. present — there
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bound — certain
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. degree — temperature
  14. present — the time now
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bound — obliged
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — from a university
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — moving air
  24. present — a gift

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