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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · bulb · fine · fan · march · degree · net · squash

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. net — after costs
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lean — thin
  6. march — the month
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. fine — all right
  11. degree — from a university
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fine — high quality
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. degree — an amount

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