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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: spring · bulb · degree · rest · bear · ball · chest · mark

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bulb — for light
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. spring — the season
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rest — a break
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spring — of water
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chest — a box
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bulb — for light

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