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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: season · bulb · staff · cap · lash · roll · file · degree

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cap — a lid
  3. degree — from a university
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. staff — employees
  8. cap — of ice
  9. roll — a list
  10. file — a tool
  11. season — of the year
  12. bulb — for light
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. staff — employees
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. file — a line of people
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. file — a document
  20. staff — a stick
  21. season — in sport
  22. cap — a hat
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bulb — for light

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