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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: wind · calf · ground · lie · degree · lash · fan · court

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. court — of a king
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. court — for sport
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — moving air
  18. court — of law
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. degree — temperature
  24. calf — a young animal

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