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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: march · bear · wake · wind · calf · lash · mouse · degree

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. march — the month
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. march — music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. march — the month
  24. bear — to put up with

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