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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: degree · bay · bulb · wax · chest · drill · fan · bat

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. drill — army training
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. degree — temperature
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — from a university

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