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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. swing — to play on
  5. suit — clothes
  6. degree — temperature
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. degree — an amount
  9. sharp — clever
  10. swing — in golf
  11. suit — in cards
  12. root — of a plant
  13. season — of the year
  14. root — of a word
  15. band — a ring
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. swing — music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. root — the cause
  20. suit — to fit
  21. season — in sport
  22. band — a music group
  23. bulb — for light
  24. degree — from a university

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