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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. degree — from a university
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. file — a document
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. branch — a division
  12. ground — the earth
  13. degree — temperature
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. file — a tool
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cabinet — ministers

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