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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · can · toast · stem · land · cold · degree · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. land — a country
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. degree — an amount
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — temperature
  9. toast — bread
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cold — an illness
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — ground
  16. can — to be able to
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — to come down
  23. degree — from a university
  24. calf — of the leg

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