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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. net — in sport
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mark — a grade
  10. degree — temperature
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. net — after costs
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — for catching
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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