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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 120 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stock — goods
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cap — a hat
  7. perch — the fish
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cap — a lid
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stock — shares
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — a practice
  18. deal — to handle
  19. drill — army training
  20. degree — an amount
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wave — of the sea

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