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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wake — a trail
  3. degree — from a university
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spring — a coil
  8. foot — a measure
  9. degree — temperature
  10. staff — a stick
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. drill — army training
  15. staff — employees
  16. rest — a break
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — of water
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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