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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. degree — from a university
  5. spell — magic
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. degree — temperature
  11. march — music
  12. degree — an amount
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spell — letters
  16. march — the month
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lean — thin
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. lean — to bend
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. scale — in music

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