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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: row · degree · wake · spell · staff · snap · bay · net

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. degree — temperature
  4. staff — employees
  5. row — to paddle
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. staff — employees
  9. wake — a trail
  10. spell — magic
  11. row — a line
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. snap — to click
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. net — for catching
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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