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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: wind · chair · degree · fine · fork · fan · scale · craft

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — in a road
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. craft — a skill
  7. scale — in music
  8. craft — boats
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. degree — from a university
  17. scale — size or range
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fine — all right
  21. degree — temperature
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wind — moving 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