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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. land — to come down
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. degree — from a university
  8. lean — to bend
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. degree — an amount
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tube — the underground
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. land — a country
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lean — thin
  19. can — a tin
  20. tube — a container
  21. can — a tin
  22. bass — low music
  23. land — ground
  24. bass — the fish

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