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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: calf · tube · saw · deal · prune · degree · kick · drill

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. drill — a practice
  16. kick — in football
  17. tube — a container
  18. drill — army training
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. degree — from a university
  24. prune — to trim

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