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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bank — for money
  3. object — an aim
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mate — a friend
  7. field — farmland
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wax — to grow
  10. object — to protest
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bulb — for light
  13. field — for sport
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bank — for money
  23. field — a subject
  24. object — a thing

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