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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: deal · squash · suit · bat · tube · degree · bulb · wax

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bat — the animal
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. degree — temperature
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bulb — for light
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. suit — to fit
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tube — a container
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wax — to grow
  23. deal — to handle
  24. tube — the underground

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