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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — a division
  5. march — the month
  6. pass — a permit
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. march — music
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. staff — employees
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. staff — a stick
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lean — to bend
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. staff — employees
  24. lash — an eyelash

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