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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: bulb · club · sharp · degree · lash · racket · stock · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stock — goods
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bulb — for light
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. club — for golf
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — to grow
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bulb — for light
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. degree — temperature
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stock — shares

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