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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: pitch · degree · spring · mug · wake · calf · fall · can

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spring — the season
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pitch — completely
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fall — to drop
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fall — the season
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. can — a tin
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fall — to drop
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wake — a trail
  22. spring — of water
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

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