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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 · roll · fork · spell · mine · lash · pitch · tube

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. degree — temperature
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tube — a container
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. spell — magic
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. roll — a list
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. roll — on a roll

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