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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: pound · toast · calf · bulb · bowl · patient · ground · degree

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. toast — bread
  12. degree — temperature
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pound — a weight
  22. ground — a position
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bowl — a dish

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