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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: bulb · row · straw · hand · rock · degree · saw · tube

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rock — a stone
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hand — in cards
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — a container
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. degree — an amount
  24. hand — help

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