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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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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: degree · saw · spell · pop · stand · mug · cold · can

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mug — a face
  4. pop — soda
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cold — not warm
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mug — to rob
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cold — an illness
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mug — a cup
  15. can — a tin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. spell — letters
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pop — music
  20. spell — magic
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stand — to bear
  23. saw — the tool
  24. degree — from a university

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