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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bound — tied together
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. season — in sport
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. degree — an amount
  10. season — of the year
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. prune — to trim
  13. track — to keep track
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. degree — from a university
  16. tube — a container
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. degree — temperature
  24. prune — to trim

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