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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 116 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: last · perch · degree · mark · lean · tube · bulb · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. last — final
  6. bulb — for light
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — temperature
  12. tube — the underground
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tube — a container
  15. race — a contest
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — finally
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bulb — for light
  22. degree — an amount
  23. last — to go on
  24. mark — a trace

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