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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.

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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: arm · content · leaves · mug · degree · fan · track · clip

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. clip — for paper
  3. degree — an amount
  4. clip — to cut
  5. degree — temperature
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. degree — from a university
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — to keep track
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — happy
  12. track — a song
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — a video
  23. track — a path
  24. content — the amount

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