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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: degree · kick · wound · bulb · mug · chest · bear · pit

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mug — a cup
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — in football
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — a hole
  12. chest — a box
  13. bear — the animal
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mug — a face
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bear — to put up with

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