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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. last — to go on
  10. wax — to grow
  11. degree — temperature
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. root — the cause
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. last — finally
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. root — of a word
  18. last — final
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. degree — from a university
  21. root — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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