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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 120 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: wax · patient · chip · bulb · pass · present · degree · lie

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. present — there
  7. degree — temperature
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — an amount
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. present — a gift
  17. wax — to grow
  18. present — the time now
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. chip — to eat
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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