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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bass — low music
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. degree — temperature
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — in cards
  18. bore — to tire
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cell — a phone
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. suit — to fit
  24. lean — to rest against

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