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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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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: object · field · bulb · degree · game · tube · firm · hand

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. game — a match
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. degree — an amount
  9. hand — in cards
  10. field — farmland
  11. tube — a container
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. object — a thing
  14. game — wild animals
  15. object — to protest
  16. hand — help
  17. field — a subject
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — from a university
  21. field — for sport
  22. degree — temperature
  23. firm — decided
  24. object — an aim

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