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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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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: fine · safe · fan · rush · land · rest · bulb · degree

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. land — ground
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fine — all right
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — a country
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fine — high quality
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rest — a break
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. land — to come down
  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