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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fall — the season
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bulb — for light
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fall — to drop
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. snap — to click
  14. bulb — for light
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. coach — a trainer

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