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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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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: fall · cell · clip · fine · calf · pitcher · root · degree

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. root — the cause
  3. clip — a video
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fall — to drop
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fall — the season
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — a phone
  15. clip — to cut
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. degree — an amount
  19. root — of a word
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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