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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.

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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: fan · dip · bulb · mouse · bowl · degree · craft · trunk

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. craft — boats
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. dip — to sink
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. degree — temperature
  22. craft — a skill
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bowl — a dish

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