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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 120 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: object · band · present · charge · pop · content · degree · bulb

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. charge — in control
  3. content — the amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — a thing
  7. charge — electricity
  8. band — a music group
  9. pop — music
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. present — a gift
  12. content — happy
  13. degree — from a university
  14. object — to protest
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pop — soda
  19. charge — a price
  20. band — a ring
  21. pop — to visit
  22. present — the time now
  23. bulb — for light
  24. content — videos and posts

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