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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cap — of ice
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wake — a trail
  7. degree — from a university
  8. last — finally
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. last — to go on
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. last — final
  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