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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: coach · wake · mouse · degree · squash · cap · bulb · fan

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. squash — the sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cap — a lid

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