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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · kick · season · saw · degree · stock · tear · ball

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kick — in football
  3. season — in sport
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stock — shares
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. ball — a great time
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bulb — for light
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stock — goods
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. tear — to rip
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tear — from crying

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