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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. branch — a division
  12. fall — the season
  13. wax — to grow
  14. root — of a word
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. root — the cause
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. degree — from a university
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bark — to shout
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wax — in the ear

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