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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: stick · straw · craft · scale · coach · degree · lean · calf

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. scale — size or range
  5. degree — an amount
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. scale — in music
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lean — thin
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. craft — a skill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. scale — for weighing
  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