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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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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: bound · sharp · roll · wound · fall · field · fan · degree

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — certain
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. field — a subject
  10. degree — an amount
  11. field — for sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bound — obliged
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fall — the season
  22. field — farmland
  23. roll — a list
  24. fan — to cool the air

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