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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rest — what's left
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stock — shares
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stock — goods
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wax — to grow
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wound — an injury

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