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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. degree — temperature
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tube — a container
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mug — a face
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spring — the season
  14. march — music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mug — a cup
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bore — to drill
  21. march — the month
  22. spring — of water
  23. mug — to rob
  24. degree — an amount

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