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

Word bank: tear · mate · degree · bulb · bound · arm · staff · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. staff — a stick
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mate — to breed
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. staff — employees
  9. bound — obliged
  10. tear — from crying
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mate — a friend
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bulb — for light
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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