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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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Word bank
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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ball — a great time
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. field — for sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ball — a dance
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. field — a subject
  21. degree — from a university
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spring — the season
  24. field — farmland

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