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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
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 · staff · degree · bay · mug · spring · lean · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. spring — a coil
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. staff — employees
  8. mug — a cup
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spring — the season
  13. mug — a face
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. degree — from a university
  16. staff — employees
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. lean — thin
  19. spring — of water
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. staff — a stick

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