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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mug — to rob
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wake — a trail
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rest — a break
  20. bulb — for light
  21. degree — an amount
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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