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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 120 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
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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: spring · bulb · fan · degree · mine · sharp · staff · pass

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pass — a permit
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bulb — for light
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. degree — temperature
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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