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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: wake · object · degree · leaves · saw · mate · mark · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. object — an aim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. object — to protest
  13. bulb — for light
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mate — a partner
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wake — a trail
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. degree — temperature
  22. object — a thing
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. mate — to breed

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