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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bank — for money
  4. bulb — for light
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. toast — bread
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bank — of a river
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bank — for money
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bulb — for light

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