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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · wave · chair · temple · capital · trunk

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. degree — temperature
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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