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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
468
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: scale · degree · rash · press · arm · bulb · swing · mate

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. press — to push
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bulb — for light
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rash — a series
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mate — a friend
  17. degree — temperature
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mate — a partner
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — newspapers
  24. scale — in music

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