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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mate · bulb · bass · wind · nail · degree · land · dip

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mate — a friend
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. mate — to breed
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. degree — an amount
  16. dip — to sink
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mate — a partner

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