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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: bulb · rash · wound · pit · nail · lie · degree · race

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. degree — from a university
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lie — to recline
  13. race — humankind
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rash — a series
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — for light
  23. race — a contest
  24. rash — hasty

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