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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. object — a thing
  4. clip — for paper
  5. can — a tin
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. spring — of water
  9. degree — temperature
  10. spring — a coil
  11. can — a tin
  12. object — an aim
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. can — to be able to
  15. rush — hurry
  16. clip — to cut
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spring — the season
  21. degree — an amount
  22. clip — a video
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. object — to protest

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