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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 116 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: clip · wave · fan · fall · field · plane · degree · bulb

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. degree — temperature
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. field — for sport
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. clip — to cut
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bulb — for light
  16. clip — a video
  17. bulb — for light
  18. field — a subject
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. plane — a tool
  23. field — farmland
  24. wave — of the sea

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