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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 · leaves · jam · degree · file · bowl · tube · rush

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. spell — letters
  5. degree — temperature
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. file — a document
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rush — hurry
  13. file — a tool
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. spell — magic

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