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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 120 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: deal · stock · wave · nail · degree · bulb · perch · club

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. club — for golf
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. deal — to handle
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. club — for dancing
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. perch — the fish
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. club — a group

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