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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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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 · stand · trunk · chip · rash · bowl · march

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. chip — for betting
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. chip — to eat
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rash — a series
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wave — with your hand

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