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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: spell · mark · calf · bear · degree · jam · toast · trunk

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mark — a grade
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. toast — bread
  9. bear — the animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. spell — letters
  14. mark — a trace
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. spell — magic
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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