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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 116 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: row · calf · wind · shower · mug · chip · drill · degree

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mug — to rob
  5. degree — temperature
  6. shower — to wash
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. drill — army training
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. row — to paddle
  20. drill — a practice
  21. shower — rain
  22. mug — a face
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chip — for betting

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