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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 116 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mug — a face
  4. bulb — for light
  5. object — to protest
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bank — for money
  8. object — a thing
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — goods
  13. wound — an injury
  14. face — part of the head
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bank — for money
  18. stock — shares
  19. face — to confront
  20. object — an aim
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bank — of a river

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