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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bank — for money
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bank — for money
  12. club — for golf
  13. degree — temperature
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. scale — in music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. file — a document
  20. club — a group
  21. wax — to grow
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. scale — for weighing
  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