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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. degree — an amount
  6. can — a tin
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. scale — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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