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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rest — a break
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. spell — a short time
  5. object — an aim
  6. degree — from a university
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — temperature
  10. spell — letters
  11. dip — to sink
  12. object — a thing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. degree — an amount
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rest — what's left
  21. object — to protest
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spell — magic
  24. dip — a sauce

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