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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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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 · bowl · calf · mate · pit · date · degree · wax

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wax — to grow
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mate — a friend
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mate — to breed
  24. degree — temperature

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