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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. degree — an amount
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. suit — in cards
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. face — to confront
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. saw — the tool
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pop — music
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pop — soda
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. suit — to fit
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pop — to visit
  23. degree — temperature
  24. saw — the tool

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