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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rest — what's left
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bank — of a river
  7. degree — an amount
  8. object — to protest
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. object — a thing
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bank — for money
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rest — a break
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. content — the amount
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. object — an aim
  24. bank — for money

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