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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: degree · perch · tube · bulb · firm · wake · shower · pitch

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wake — a trail
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. perch — the fish
  10. tube — a container
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. degree — an amount
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bulb — for light
  20. firm — steady
  21. pitch — completely
  22. firm — decided
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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