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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: field · hand · degree · bulb · fan · roll · deal · dip

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. field — farmland
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — help
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. field — a subject
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bulb — for light
  15. field — for sport
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bulb — for light
  23. roll — a cake
  24. deal — a big deal

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