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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.

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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: mug · degree · wound · leaves · fan · cold · mouse · season

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mug — a cup
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wound — an injury
  11. season — in sport
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mug — a face
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. degree — temperature
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mug — to rob

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