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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. club — a group
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. degree — an amount
  6. land — a country
  7. degree — from a university
  8. tube — a container
  9. rash — hasty
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — rain
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. land — ground
  18. rash — a series
  19. club — for golf
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. can — a tin
  24. club — for dancing

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