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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bank — for money
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mate — a friend
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fine — all right
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pit — in a race

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