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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 120 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: lean · bulb · foot · net · degree · game · can · shower

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — to wash
  6. degree — temperature
  7. can — to be able to
  8. game — a match
  9. shower — rain
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — in sport
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. can — a tin
  18. lean — thin
  19. foot — a measure
  20. degree — from a university
  21. game — wild animals
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. lean — to bend
  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