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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: rash · rush · bulb · wound · mine · cap · saw · degree

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — temperature
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rash — hasty
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — an explosive

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