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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 120 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hand — in cards
  4. degree — temperature
  5. drill — the tool
  6. can — to be able to
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. drill — army training
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. drill — a practice
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pass — a permit
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — an amount
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hand — help
  21. can — a tin
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. degree — from a university
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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