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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. staff — employees
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. band — a music group
  7. degree — an amount
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — to rob
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. spring — the season
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. degree — from a university
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mug — a cup
  20. staff — employees
  21. band — a ring
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mug — a face

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