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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
468
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 · straw · fan · wave · bear · degree · plane · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. plane — a tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. degree — an amount
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bear — the animal
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fan — a supporter

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