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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: bulb · firm · wax · clip · degree · safe · scale · field

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. scale — in music
  4. clip — a video
  5. field — for sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. clip — to cut
  9. firm — steady
  10. wax — to grow
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. degree — an amount
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. bulb — for light
  18. field — farmland
  19. degree — from a university
  20. clip — for paper
  21. degree — temperature
  22. field — a subject
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wax — in the ear

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