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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · wound · degree · stand · present · calf

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — to rip
  3. present — a gift
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wound — an injury
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. present — the time now
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. present — there
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stand — to bear
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. degree — an amount

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