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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: degree · bulb · bound · wind · current · deal · fork · fan

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. current — electric
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bound — certain
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wind — moving air
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. current — of water
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. current — happening now
  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