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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: fan · pop · degree · bear · suit · chest · cabinet · fall

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pop — soda
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fall — the season
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pop — music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — a box
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fall — to drop

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