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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. degree — from a university
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bank — for money
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. drill — a practice
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. roll — a list
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — army training
  15. bank — of a river
  16. roll — a cake
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bank — for money
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. dip — to sink
  23. degree — temperature
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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