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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: charge · fan · wind · calf · degree · bore · pit · rest

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bore — to drill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pit — a hole
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wind — moving air
  12. charge — in control
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. charge — a price
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rest — a break
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. charge — electricity
  23. pit — in a race
  24. calf — of the leg

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