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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.

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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: calf · band · bulb · pass · fine · degree · lean · cap

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cap — a lid
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. band — a music group
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cap — of ice
  21. band — a ring
  22. pass — a permit
  23. band — a rubber band
  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