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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: ball · bat · bear · degree · rest · calf · tube · prune

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. tube — a container
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. degree — an amount
  12. tube — the underground
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rest — what's left

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