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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · degree · spring · pop · board · net · hide · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spring — a coil
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. board — a committee
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spell — magic
  8. net — in sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. spring — the season
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. board — to get on
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. net — after costs
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pop — to visit
  22. degree — from a university
  23. net — for catching
  24. spell — a short time

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