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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: bulb · ruler · degree · fan · dip · hand · pitcher · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — help
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. dip — to dunk

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