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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mine — for digging
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. degree — an amount
  10. current — of water
  11. plane — a tool
  12. hand — help
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. current — electric
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — temperature
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. current — happening now
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — low music
  24. degree — from a university

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