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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 · tube · pitcher · fan · key · hand · wave · bay

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. key — in music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. hand — help
  14. key — the most important part
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. degree — from a university
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fan — a supporter

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