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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: cue · calf · tear · season · degree · fan · craft · wound

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cue — for pool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cue — a signal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — a hint
  14. season — in sport
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. season — of the year
  18. tear — to rip
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fan — to cool the air

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