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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
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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: staff · pound · degree · wave · fan · pop · clip · cabinet

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pop — music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. staff — employees
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pop — soda

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