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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 120 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: stick · track · lie · shower · trunk · hand · degree · can

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. track — a song
  3. shower — to wash
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. can — a tin
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lie — to recline
  21. shower — rain
  22. can — a tin
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. degree — temperature

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