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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
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: row · pitcher · craft · hide · spell · degree · dip · spring

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. degree — temperature
  4. craft — boats
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. row — to paddle
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. spring — the season
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. degree — from a university
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. spell — letters
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spell — a short time
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spell — magic
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. hide — to keep secret

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