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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: fan · season · wound · rest · leaves · degree · calf · firm

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rest — a break
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. firm — steady
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wound — an injury
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wound — an injury
  15. firm — decided
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. firm — a company
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — of the year
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. season — in sport
  24. rest — what's left

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