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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: staff · fall · march · mine · calf · lash · racket · degree

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. staff — employees
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. fall — to drop
  12. degree — temperature
  13. staff — a stick
  14. degree — from a university
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fall — the season
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. staff — employees
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fall — to drop

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