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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.

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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: degree · tube · mate · snap · squash · charge · spell · bank

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bank — for money
  4. tube — the underground
  5. degree — an amount
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bank — for money
  8. snap — to click
  9. bank — of a river
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tube — a container
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. charge — in control
  14. squash — to crush
  15. spell — magic
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spell — letters
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mate — a friend
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. charge — a price
  24. degree — from a university

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