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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.

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: march · shower · bulb · swing · mug · degree · wax · bay

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. degree — from a university
  10. march — the month
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a face
  13. bulb — for light
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. march — music
  20. wax — to grow
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. swing — music
  24. degree — temperature

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