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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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468
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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fork — in a road
  5. band — a ring
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rest — a break
  17. degree — temperature
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. band — a music group
  20. degree — from a university
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. leaves — of a tree

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