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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. spring — of water
  3. ball — a dance
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spring — a coil
  6. track — a song
  7. ball — a great time
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cell — in biology
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cell — a phone
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bank — for money
  18. track — to keep track
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. spring — the season
  24. track — a path

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