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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — to grow
  6. tear — from crying
  7. land — ground
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fine — all right
  11. tear — from crying
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. craft — a skill
  16. land — to come down
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. fine — high quality
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. land — a country
  24. mate — to breed

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