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

Word bank: calf · cell · wave · file · lie · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. degree — temperature
  2. lie — to recline
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. file — a document
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a tool
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lie — an untruth
  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