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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: wind · drill · cell · degree · arm · charge · spring · calf

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. degree — an amount
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spring — of water
  8. cell — in biology
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wind — moving air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spring — the season
  19. degree — from a university
  20. drill — a practice
  21. charge — in control
  22. drill — army training
  23. charge — a price
  24. cell — a phone

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