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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: degree · wound · rock · sharp · season · jam · bulb · wake

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bulb — for light
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wake — a trail
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. season — of the year
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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