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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wake — a trail
  5. spring — of water
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. staff — employees
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. degree — an amount
  11. staff — employees
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stem — to come from
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. snap — to click
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wake — before a funeral

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