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

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. craft — a skill
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. can — a tin
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. degree — from a university
  19. craft — boats
  20. can — to be able to
  21. roll — a cake
  22. net — after costs
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. degree — temperature

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