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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: root · jam · degree · race · mouse · bulb · fall · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bulb — for light
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bulb — for light
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. race — the arms race
  10. root — of a word
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. race — humankind
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mug — to rob
  20. race — a contest
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mug — a cup

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