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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. spring — a coil
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — of water
  6. pop — soda
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — the season
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rest — a break
  14. charge — in control
  15. degree — from a university
  16. tear — from crying
  17. charge — a price
  18. tear — to rip
  19. charge — electricity
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pop — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. degree — an amount

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