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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 · clip · lean · mark · degree · mouse · roll · craft

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. clip — a video
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lean — to bend
  11. craft — boats
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. degree — temperature
  16. craft — a skill
  17. degree — from a university
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. lean — thin

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