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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 120 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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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: hand · game · lean · season · bulb · cap · degree · staff

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cap — of ice
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hand — help
  6. bulb — for light
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cap — a hat
  11. degree — temperature
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lean — thin
  14. staff — employees
  15. degree — from a university
  16. game — wild animals
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. staff — employees
  20. game — a match
  21. season — in sport
  22. cap — a lid
  23. season — of the year
  24. degree — an amount

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