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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: fan · pass · wind · date · degree · chair · bulb · spring

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. chair — a leader
  8. spring — of water
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — a coil
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pass — a permit
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. spring — the season

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