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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bank — for money
  4. band — a ring
  5. rock — music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. toast — bread
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rock — a stone
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. hand — help
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. hand — in cards
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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