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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stem — to come from
  6. degree — from a university
  7. net — for catching
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. net — after costs
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. net — in sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stem — a stem cell

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