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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bank — of a river
  8. content — the amount
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wound — an injury
  13. content — happy
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. degree — an amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. season — in sport
  20. degree — temperature
  21. season — of the year
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. degree — from a university

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