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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. season — of the year
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spell — a short time
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. suit — to fit
  13. spell — magic
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. craft — a skill
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — in cards
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. degree — from a university
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. season — in sport
  22. craft — boats
  23. spell — letters
  24. band — a music group

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