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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — to breed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. band — a ring
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pit — in a race
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pound — a weight
  13. deal — to handle
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. mate — a friend
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pound — to hit hard

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