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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · scale · degree · game · rule · stem · pound · bulb

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. degree — an amount
  11. game — a match
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stem — to come from
  16. scale — in music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. degree — from a university
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. game — a kind of play

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