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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 120 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: charge · march · calf · rock · degree · dip · mate · spring

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spring — the season
  3. rock — music
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. spring — of water
  6. degree — an amount
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. spring — a coil
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. march — music
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — to sink
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mate — to breed
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. march — the month
  19. charge — electricity
  20. degree — from a university
  21. charge — in control
  22. mate — a friend
  23. degree — temperature
  24. charge — a price

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