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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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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. rock — music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. shower — rain
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wind — moving air
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. shower — to wash
  20. track — to keep track
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. rock — a stone
  24. object — to protest

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