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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spring — the season
  3. bass — the fish
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spring — of water
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. saw — the tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bass — low music
  20. mug — a cup
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. degree — from a university
  23. spring — a coil
  24. leaves — lets stay

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