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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: spring · degree · kick · shower · mouse · wave · rock · fork

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fork — in a road
  3. degree — from a university
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rock — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. kick — in football
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. shower — rain

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