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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. band — a music group
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. swing — in golf
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. band — a ring
  14. squash — the sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stand — to bear
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. degree — from a university
  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