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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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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: prune · bulb · court · pound · shower · press · degree · pop

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. court — of law
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pop — music
  8. press — newspapers
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. court — of a king
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pop — soda
  18. bulb — for light
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — for sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. press — to push

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