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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: tube · lean · mate · row · racket · degree · fan · straw

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mate — to breed
  3. lean — to bend
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. row — a line
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lean — thin
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. degree — temperature
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. row — to paddle
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. fan — a supporter

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