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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bulb — for light
  9. degree — temperature
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wax — to grow
  14. drill — army training
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. degree — an amount
  20. squash — to crush
  21. drill — the tool
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. drill — a practice

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