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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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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: drill · wound · calf · tube · mark · degree · rest · stick

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. degree — from a university
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — army training
  6. wound — an injury
  7. drill — a practice
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rest — a break
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rest — what's left
  17. degree — temperature
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. degree — an amount
  20. tube — a container
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wound — an injury

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