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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 · degree · spring · row · perch · club · suit

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. row — to paddle
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spring — of water
  8. suit — to fit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. suit — in cards
  12. degree — from a university
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — letters
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spring — the season
  17. club — for golf
  18. spell — magic
  19. perch — the fish
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. spell — a short time
  22. row — a line
  23. degree — an amount
  24. club — for dancing

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