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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 116 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: dip · bulb · degree · stand · hand · cue · fan · pound

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. dip — to sink
  8. degree — temperature
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — help
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. degree — from a university

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