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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: present · bulb · degree · bat · club · bound · foot · band

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bulb — for light
  3. band — a ring
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bulb — for light
  7. club — a group
  8. present — the time now
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bat — the animal
  13. band — a music group
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bound — obliged
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. present — a gift
  18. club — for golf
  19. degree — an amount
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bound — certain
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bound — tied together

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