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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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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: fan · hand · bank · craft · kick · degree · key · fall

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. degree — from a university
  3. craft — boats
  4. hand — help
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — temperature
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hand — in cards
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. fall — the season
  13. kick — in football
  14. craft — a skill
  15. key — in music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bank — for money
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bank — for money
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — an amount

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