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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: band · degree · bulb · wax · club · trunk · bark · squash

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — for golf
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. club — for dancing
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. club — a group
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bark — to shout
  21. band — a ring
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. degree — temperature

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