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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.

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: wind · fan · bore · spell · capital · toast · degree · craft

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. spell — magic
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. capital — money
  11. craft — boats
  12. bore — to tire
  13. degree — from a university
  14. craft — a skill
  15. toast — bread
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. degree — temperature
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. capital — a big letter

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