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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: kick · mouse · pop · hide · degree · fan · spring · wax

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. spring — of water
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spring — the season
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kick — in football
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pop — soda
  14. degree — temperature
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spring — a coil
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pop — music
  24. mouse — for a computer

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