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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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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: bulb · degree · wake · spell · fan · row · bound · vault

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wake — a trail
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. row — a line
  8. spell — letters
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — magic
  11. row — to paddle
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bound — tied together
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wake — before a funeral

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