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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. band — a ring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. band — a music group
  7. staff — employees
  8. lean — thin
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — temperature
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. staff — employees
  21. tear — from crying
  22. degree — an amount
  23. content — the amount
  24. staff — a stick

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