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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. spring — the season
  3. cap — a hat
  4. scale — in music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bank — of a river
  8. degree — temperature
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bank — for money
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bank — for money
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ball — a great time
  15. degree — from a university
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spring — of water
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pound — a weight

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