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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: cap · bulb · arm · race · can · spring · degree · ground

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spring — the season
  3. degree — temperature
  4. can — to be able to
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bulb — for light
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cap — of ice
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cap — a lid
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bulb — for light
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ground — the earth
  17. can — a tin
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. race — a contest
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. ground — a position
  23. cap — a hat
  24. spring — of water

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