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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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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: current · stand · bulb · degree · chair · bay · cold · perch

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. stand — to bear
  3. current — electric
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bulb — for light
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cold — an illness
  16. current — happening now
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cold — not warm
  19. current — of water
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bulb — for light
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chair — to sit on

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