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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 · pound · lie · trunk · cap · squash · lean · stand

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. squash — the sport
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cap — of ice
  17. lean — thin
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stand — to bear
  21. degree — temperature
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lean — to rest against

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