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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: ground · degree · bulb · sharp · content · wax · mug · face

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. degree — an amount
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ground — a position
  6. content — happy
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ground — crushed
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. degree — temperature
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — to confront
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mug — a face
  22. content — the amount
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wax — for sculpting

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