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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. degree — from a university
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. ball — a great time
  17. degree — temperature
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. staff — employees
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bark — to shout

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