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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 · lean · net · saw · spell · fork · shower · band

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. net — after costs
  6. band — a music group
  7. fork — in a road
  8. saw — the tool
  9. shower — to wash
  10. band — a ring
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. saw — the tool
  15. net — for catching
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spell — letters
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. net — in sport
  23. degree — an amount
  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