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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lie — to recline
  3. staff — employees
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. firm — decided
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wax — to grow
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. firm — steady
  13. degree — from a university
  14. firm — a company
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. degree — temperature
  19. root — the cause
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. lie — an untruth

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