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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rule — a law
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. track — to keep track
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rule — government
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wax — to grow
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. track — a path
  19. dip — to sink
  20. march — the month
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. track — a song
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. calf — a young animal

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