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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lean — thin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. game — a match
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. game — wild animals
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. band — a ring
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. degree — an amount
  17. band — a music group
  18. degree — from a university
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. degree — temperature

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