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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 116 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: fine · band · snap · bulb · degree · ruler · bass · wind

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. band — a ring
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — the fish
  16. snap — to click
  17. fine — all right
  18. band — a music group
  19. degree — from a university
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bass — low music

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