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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. track — a song
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. track — a path
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rest — what's left
  10. degree — temperature
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rash — hasty
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. degree — from a university
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. spell — magic

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