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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mark — a trace
  4. prune — to trim
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stock — goods
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. drill — army training
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. craft — boats
  17. degree — temperature
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — to wash
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. shower — rain
  22. stock — shares
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mark — a grade

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