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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: bulb · stick · degree · object · tear · wound · board · cabinet

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. object — an aim
  14. board — a committee
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. object — a thing
  18. tear — to rip
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — temperature
  23. board — to get on
  24. object — to protest

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