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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: degree · court · jam · leaves · wake · spell · deal · tube

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. court — of law
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. tube — the underground
  11. spell — letters
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. degree — temperature
  14. court — of a king
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. court — for sport
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. spell — magic
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tube — a container
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. deal — to handle

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