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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: spell · tube · cue · capital · spring · shower · degree · pitch

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spell — magic
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitch — completely
  5. spell — a short time
  6. capital — money
  7. degree — an amount
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spell — letters
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cue — a hint
  15. tube — a container
  16. spring — the season
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cue — a signal
  19. capital — a city
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. spring — of water
  24. cue — for pool

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