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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: clip · leaves · hand · cap · wake · toast · degree · mouse

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cap — of ice
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. degree — an amount
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. hand — help
  11. clip — to cut
  12. toast — bread
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. clip — a video
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hand — in cards

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