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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · press · perch · can · bass · bulb · kid · content

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bass — low music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. can — a tin
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. perch — the fish
  8. can — a tin
  9. bass — the fish
  10. degree — an amount
  11. kid — to tease
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. press — newspapers
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. content — happy
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. can — to be able to
  22. kid — child
  23. content — the amount
  24. degree — from a university

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