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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: bulb · degree · mug · wave · rule · arm · roll · march

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mug — a face
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mug — to rob
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bulb — for light
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. roll — a list

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