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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: degree · calf · rest · roll · safe · wave · chest · field

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. degree — an amount
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chest — of your body
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rest — a break
  11. chest — a box
  12. degree — from a university
  13. field — a subject
  14. roll — a cake
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. field — farmland
  18. rest — what's left
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. field — for sport
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. roll — a list
  24. safe — out of danger

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