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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: swing · season · ground · cue · degree · bore · hand · bulb

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ground — a position
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. season — of the year
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. swing — to play on
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bore — to drill
  14. swing — in golf
  15. season — in sport
  16. swing — music
  17. cue — a hint
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cue — for pool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. hand — help
  23. bulb — for light
  24. season — to add flavour

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