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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. face — part of the head
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. face — to point toward
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bore — to tire
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. degree — from a university
  17. face — to confront
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mark — a trace

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