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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. craft — boats
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. track — a song
  8. stem — to come from
  9. track — a path
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rush — hurry
  12. degree — an amount
  13. track — to keep track
  14. craft — a skill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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