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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: bass · degree · fan · craft · dip · wind · pound · hand

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. hand — help
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — in cards
  8. craft — boats
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. dip — to sink
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. craft — a skill
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pound — to hit hard

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