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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bank — of a river
  3. shower — rain
  4. hand — help
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bank — for money
  11. clip — for paper
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bank — for money
  15. firm — steady
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hand — in cards
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. clip — a video
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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