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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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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: net · fan · craft · pound · wind · ball · degree · content

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. net — for catching
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — the amount
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — happy
  11. ball — a dance
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — in sport
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. ball — a great time
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. degree — temperature
  23. net — after costs
  24. degree — an amount

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