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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. track — to keep track
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — a measure
  6. plane — a tool
  7. track — a song
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. march — music
  11. track — a path
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. degree — an amount
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — an injury
  23. degree — temperature
  24. march — the month

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