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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. craft — a skill
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. degree — an amount
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wax — to grow
  22. staff — a stick
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. craft — boats

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