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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: mate · calf · trunk · club · field · pass · fine · degree

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. field — a subject
  3. club — a group
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mate — a partner
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pass — a permit
  10. field — farmland
  11. fine — all right
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. club — for golf
  14. degree — an amount
  15. field — for sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. degree — from a university

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