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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: snap · rock · craft · mine · degree · wave · mate · bulb

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mate — to breed
  8. snap — to click
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. craft — boats
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mine — for digging
  21. degree — temperature
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rock — to move gently

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