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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: rash · wave · bulb · saw · tube · degree · fan · object

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. object — an aim
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. object — to protest
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. tube — a container
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rash — a series
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. object — a thing
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. saw — the tool

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