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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wound — an injury
  3. foot — a measure
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — an amount
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. current — happening now
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. current — of water
  13. net — for catching
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — after costs
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — electric
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mine — for digging
  24. net — in sport

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