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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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bear — the animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bear — the animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. file — a document
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. file — a tool
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mate — to breed

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