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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. object — an aim
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chest — of your body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. object — to protest
  10. chest — of your body
  11. row — a line
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bulb — for light
  14. object — a thing
  15. bulb — for light
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. degree — temperature
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. toast — bread

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