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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: kid · fine · spring · degree · lean · drill · chair · fan

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. spring — the season
  4. drill — army training
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. degree — an amount
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. kid — child
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lean — thin
  14. spring — of water
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lean — to bend

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