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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 116 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. degree — an amount
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bank — for money
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. degree — temperature
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bank — for money

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