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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: cue · swing · kid · degree · bear · pop · bulb · wind

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kid — child
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pop — soda
  12. cue — a hint
  13. swing — music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wind — moving air
  19. degree — from a university
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cue — a signal

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