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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bound — tied together
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bound — certain
  7. staff — a stick
  8. branch — a division
  9. degree — from a university
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. staff — employees
  17. drill — the tool
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. trunk — of a car

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