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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 116 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: spell · fork · face · game · cell · wax · degree · chip

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. degree — temperature
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. spell — letters
  6. game — a match
  7. spell — magic
  8. fork — in a road
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. face — to confront
  19. chip — for betting
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spell — a short time

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