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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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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: safe · fall · swing · bear · degree · racket · bulb · shower

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. degree — temperature
  5. swing — to play on
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bulb — for light
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. shower — rain
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fall — the season
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bear — the animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. swing — music
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. degree — an amount
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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