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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fall — to drop
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bank — of a river
  5. fall — the season
  6. can — a tin
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. can — a tin
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mate — a friend
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bank — for money
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bank — for money
  23. degree — from a university
  24. can — to be able to

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