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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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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: hide · band · degree · face · fine · stem · sharp · calf

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. face — to confront
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fine — high quality
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fine — all right
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. face — part of the head
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. face — to point toward
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a music group
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hide — to keep secret

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