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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: wave · chest · bowl · foot · staff · degree · spell · deal

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. deal — to handle
  3. spell — letters
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. degree — an amount
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. staff — a stick
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. chest — of your body
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. chest — a box
  20. spell — magic
  21. degree — temperature
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. foot — the bottom

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