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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
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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: bulb · club · pop · plane · ruler · degree · spring · race

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. club — for golf
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. race — the arms race
  6. degree — an amount
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pop — to visit
  13. race — a contest
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. spring — the season
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. spring — of water
  18. club — for dancing
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pop — soda
  22. bulb — for light
  23. club — a group
  24. race — humankind

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