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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: rock · fan · lean · bulb · degree · land · bark · chair

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. land — a country
  3. lean — thin
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. land — to come down
  20. bark — to shout
  21. land — ground
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rock — music

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