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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · fan · ball · mine · degree · tube · craft · pass

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tube — a container
  10. fall — the season
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ball — a great time
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pass — a permit
  21. ball — a dance
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fall — to drop
  24. craft — boats

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