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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: degree · pass · chip · bark · kick · fan · bulb · lean

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lean — to bend
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kick — in football
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lean — thin
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pass — to spend time

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