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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
468
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: field · hand · lash · mug · degree · jam · game · bulb

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. degree — from a university
  5. game — a match
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. degree — an amount
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. field — farmland
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hand — help
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. degree — temperature
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mug — a face

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