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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 120 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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wound — an injury
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wax — to grow
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. perch — the fish

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