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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: fall · trunk · key · calf · wind · degree · land · rule

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fall — to drop
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fall — to drop
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — a country
  10. wind — moving air
  11. key — the most important part
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rule — government
  14. land — to come down
  15. key — in music
  16. land — ground
  17. fall — the season
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wind — moving air

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