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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. press — a publisher
  3. drill — army training
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rest — what's left
  9. drill — a practice
  10. band — a ring
  11. drill — the tool
  12. press — to push
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fork — in a road
  17. band — a music group
  18. rest — what's left
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rest — a break
  21. degree — temperature
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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