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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 116 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — of water
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. stand — to bear
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. degree — temperature
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. degree — an amount
  20. spring — a coil
  21. content — happy
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. spring — the season

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