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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: calf · dip · band · craft · degree · wake · straw · bound

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bound — obliged
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wake — a trail
  10. band — a music group
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bound — certain
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. band — a ring
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bound — tied together
  19. craft — a skill
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. craft — boats

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