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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. degree — an amount
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bass — low music
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fall — to drop
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. degree — from a university
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bass — the fish
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. fall — the season
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. temple — side of the head

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