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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. degree — temperature
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. court — of a king
  5. track — a path
  6. degree — from a university
  7. court — of law
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. track — to keep track
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. court — for sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. track — a song
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wake — a trail
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rest — what's left

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