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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · wave · degree · staff · ruler · squash · spell · fan

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. spell — magic
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. spell — letters
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. spell — a short time
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. staff — employees
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. squash — to crush

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