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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: safe · wake · nail · hand · date · bulb · net · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bulb — for light
  8. net — after costs
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. date — the fruit
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. safe — out of danger

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