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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — an amount
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rest — a break
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wax — to grow
  17. degree — temperature
  18. scale — in music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. degree — from a university
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mine — an explosive

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