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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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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: mine · bulb · staff · pound · stand · degree · track · object

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. object — to protest
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bulb — for light
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stand — to bear
  19. track — a path
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. staff — employees
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. staff — a stick

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