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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: rock · spell · degree · bear · charge · net · firm · spring

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. charge — a price
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. firm — decided
  6. rock — a stone
  7. firm — steady
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. charge — in control
  12. firm — a company
  13. spring — the season
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. net — for catching
  16. charge — electricity
  17. net — after costs
  18. spring — of water
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. net — in sport
  23. spell — magic
  24. rock — music

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