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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. degree — from a university
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. degree — temperature
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pound — a weight

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