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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.

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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: dip · stick · degree · ball · wound · track · season · fan

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — of the year
  6. track — a song
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. dip — to sink
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. degree — temperature
  16. track — a path
  17. ball — a dance
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. season — in sport
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wound — an injury

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