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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: mug · hand · bulb · degree · stem · game · lash · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. game — a match
  3. mug — a cup
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bulb — for light
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mug — a face
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hand — help
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rock — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lash — an eyelash

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