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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 116 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. scale — in music
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pop — soda
  4. band — a ring
  5. bulb — for light
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. shower — rain
  9. band — a music group
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pop — to visit
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pop — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. degree — an amount
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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