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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · degree · spring · object · court · lean · spell · wind

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. lean — thin
  6. spell — magic
  7. court — of a king
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pit — in a race
  12. court — of law
  13. object — a thing
  14. spell — a short time
  15. object — an aim
  16. pit — a hole
  17. object — to protest
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — temperature
  21. court — for sport
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wind — moving 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