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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 116 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: plane · leaves · kick · straw · saw · spring · fan · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. spring — of water
  9. degree — an amount
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. saw — the tool
  16. plane — a tool
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. degree — from a university
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. kick — in football

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