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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · deal · nail · bass · root · lie · bulb · degree

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. land — ground
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. land — a country
  8. root — of a word
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bass — the fish
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bulb — for light
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bass — low music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. degree — temperature
  21. land — to come down
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. lie — to recline
  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