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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 116 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. club — for golf
  3. cap — a lid
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. spring — the season
  7. tube — a container
  8. degree — from a university
  9. club — a group
  10. tube — the underground
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cap — of ice
  14. degree — an amount
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. degree — temperature
  19. spring — a coil
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cap — a hat
  23. spring — of water
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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