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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bay · degree · field · bulb · land · scale · spring · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. scale — in music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. field — for sport
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bulb — for light
  16. land — to come down
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. land — a country
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. field — a subject
  21. spring — the season
  22. field — farmland
  23. land — ground
  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