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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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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: degree · stick · bulb · bowl · leaves · arm · tear · race

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. race — a contest
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. race — the arms race
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. degree — temperature
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. degree — an amount
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. tear — to rip
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. race — humankind
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. degree — from a university

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