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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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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 · jam · face · track · stick · degree · pop · spring

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pop — to visit
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pop — music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. track — a path
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spring — a coil
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pop — soda
  24. jam — in traffic

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