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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fine — all right
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. spell — magic
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fork — in a road
  9. spell — letters
  10. fine — high quality
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. snap — to click
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — moving air
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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