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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. march — music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. net — in sport
  5. degree — an amount
  6. march — the month
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. degree — from a university
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. march — the month
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. branch — a division
  15. bulb — for light
  16. drill — the tool
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bulb — for light
  20. season — of the year
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. drill — army training

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