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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: stem · racket · ball · snap · craft · degree · spell · deal

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spell — a short time
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spell — letters
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. spell — magic
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. deal — to handle
  14. craft — boats
  15. snap — to click
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. craft — a skill
  24. stem — to come from

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