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

Word bank: scale · stand · present · bulb · kid · wound · bay · degree

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. present — a gift
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — temperature
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. stand — to bear
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bulb — for light
  14. present — the time now
  15. scale — in music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. scale — size or range
  19. kid — child
  20. bulb — for light
  21. degree — from a university
  22. present — there
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stand — for spectators

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