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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: net · ground · wind · drill · degree · game · bulb · bear

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. drill — the tool
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. net — in sport
  16. degree — an amount
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. net — for catching
  22. ground — a position
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — after costs

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