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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: bulb · roll · hand · drill · degree · arm · craft · wake

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wake — a trail
  5. degree — temperature
  6. craft — a skill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. hand — in cards
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. drill — a practice
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. craft — boats
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hand — help
  20. degree — an amount
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a list
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. craft — a handicraft

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