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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: mate · mouse · saw · degree · rest · spell · arm · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mate — a partner
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rest — a break
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mate — to breed
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — a friend
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. degree — temperature

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