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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: racket · tear · calf · face · degree · hand · deal · trunk

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. face — to confront
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hand — in cards
  7. face — part of the head
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. tear — to rip
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. degree — from a university
  14. face — to point toward
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. hand — help
  19. deal — to handle
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. calf — a young animal
  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