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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 116 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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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: dip · craft · fork · club · bulb · kid · rock · degree

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rock — a stone
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. degree — from a university
  11. club — a group
  12. degree — an amount
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. club — for dancing
  16. craft — boats
  17. rock — music
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. dip — to sink
  23. fork — in a road
  24. club — for golf

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