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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 124 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. object — a thing
  3. roll — a cake
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. craft — a skill
  9. degree — temperature
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. charge — a price
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. charge — in control
  15. degree — from a university
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. craft — boats
  20. object — to protest
  21. charge — electricity
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. object — an aim
  24. roll — a list

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