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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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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: trunk · fine · bore · march · face · degree · roll · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. degree — temperature
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fine — high quality
  5. march — the month
  6. bore — to drill
  7. degree — an amount
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mark — a grade
  10. face — to confront
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mark — a trace
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. march — music
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. march — the month
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fine — all right

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