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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. degree — from a university
  3. root — of a word
  4. bound — tied together
  5. content — happy
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bank — of a river
  8. tube — a container
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bound — obliged
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. root — of a plant
  14. content — the amount
  15. ball — a great time
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bound — certain
  18. tube — the underground
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — an amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. root — the cause

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