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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 · fan · wake · wave · pitcher · kick · ball · degree

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kick — in football
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. spell — magic
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. degree — temperature
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ball — a great time
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spell — letters
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fan — a supporter

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