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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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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: row · cold · bulb · bank · degree · squash · pass · cap

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bank — for money
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bank — for money
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bulb — for light
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cold — not warm
  24. squash — the vegetable

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