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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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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: calf · fall · charge · safe · land · lean · clip · degree

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. clip — to cut
  3. land — ground
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fall — the season
  6. charge — a price
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. land — a country
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lean — to bend
  11. clip — a video
  12. degree — an amount
  13. charge — electricity
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fall — to drop
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lean — thin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. charge — in control
  24. calf — a young animal

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