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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: degree · band · tube · firm · calf · object · date · kid

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kid — child
  3. object — an aim
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. object — to protest
  6. tube — the underground
  7. object — a thing
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. band — a music group
  11. firm — decided
  12. band — a ring
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. degree — from a university
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — steady
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. tube — a container
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. calf — a young animal

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