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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: cabinet · fork · last · spell · degree · fan · bulb · perch

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. degree — temperature
  3. last — to go on
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. perch — the fish
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — final
  11. spell — a short time
  12. last — finally
  13. spell — magic
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — letters
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — from a university
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fork — in a road

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