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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: degree · lash · straw · tear · suit · bulb · chip · field

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. degree — temperature
  3. suit — in cards
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tear — from crying
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. degree — from a university
  15. suit — clothes
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. field — farmland
  19. bulb — for light
  20. suit — to fit
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chip — to eat

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