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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. firm — steady
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — to be able to
  9. band — a music group
  10. degree — from a university
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. firm — decided
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. firm — a company
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. can — a tin

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