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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: mine · cabinet · chair · fan · leaves · rush · bear · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mine — for digging
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bear — to put up with

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