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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · swing · plane · degree · hand · rest · clip · wax

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. swing — in golf
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rest — a break
  6. clip — to cut
  7. degree — an amount
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — help
  11. plane — a tool
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. swing — to play on
  17. degree — from a university
  18. swing — music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. clip — for paper
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. clip — a video
  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