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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: wake · degree · mark · bulb · mug · rest · lie · row

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rest — what's left
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lie — to recline
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mug — a cup
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mug — a face
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rest — a break
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wake — a trail
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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