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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 · drill · mine · bass · rush · staff · degree · calf

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bass — low music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. staff — employees
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mate — a partner
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. staff — a stick
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. staff — employees
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mate — a friend
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. degree — an amount
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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