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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. march — music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — temperature
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — of your body
  14. current — happening now
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stand — to bear
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bank — for money
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bank — for money
  21. current — electric
  22. bank — of a river
  23. current — of water
  24. ruler — for measuring

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