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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · pitcher · pit · tear · degree · mine · fine · spell

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fine — all right
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mine — for digging
  6. spell — letters
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pit — a hole
  9. spell — a short time
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spell — magic
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — belonging to me

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