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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: clip · lean · lash · face · degree · bass · bulb · current

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. current — electric
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bass — low music
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lean — thin
  7. face — to confront
  8. lean — to bend
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. current — happening now
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. degree — temperature
  14. current — of water
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. face — to point toward
  19. degree — an amount
  20. clip — a video
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bass — the fish
  24. degree — from a university

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