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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: rest · mug · pop · object · season · scale · leaves · degree

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rest — what's left
  3. scale — in music
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mug — a cup
  8. degree — temperature
  9. season — in sport
  10. mug — to rob
  11. scale — size or range
  12. object — an aim
  13. pop — soda
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mug — a face
  16. object — to protest
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — of the year
  19. object — a thing
  20. rest — a break
  21. pop — music
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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