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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. object — an aim
  13. stem — to come from
  14. object — a thing
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. object — to protest
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. degree — from a university
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rule — a law

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