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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: rule · spell · degree · fork · lean · swing · wound · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rule — government
  10. spell — letters
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. swing — music
  13. spell — magic
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — thin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. degree — an amount
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rule — a law
  22. lean — to bend
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rule — to rule out

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