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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. can — a tin
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. degree — temperature
  6. land — ground
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rash — a series
  12. rock — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. snap — to click
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. can — a tin
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. can — to be able to
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. land — a country
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rash — hasty
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. trunk — of a tree

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