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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: wake · degree · row · ground · calf · pass · arm · straw

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ground — crushed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. row — to paddle
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ground — the earth
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ground — a position
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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