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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
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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: degree · mine · mate · spell · can · fan · pass · stand

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. can — a tin
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. spell — letters
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pass — a permit
  18. can — a tin
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mate — a partner
  21. spell — magic
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pass — to spend time

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