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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 120 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: coach · pitcher · bass · wound · calf · content · rock · degree

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. content — the amount
  4. rock — music
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wound — an injury
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. content — happy
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bass — low music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rock — to move gently
  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