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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: bulb · swing · degree · wake · last · land · can · rock

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rock — a stone
  8. can — a tin
  9. last — to go on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. land — to come down
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. land — a country
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bulb — for light
  17. degree — temperature
  18. land — ground
  19. can — a tin
  20. rock — music
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. degree — from a university
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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