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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: key · hand · ruler · face · spring · degree · jam · trunk

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. face — to confront
  4. spring — the season
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spring — a coil
  9. face — to point toward
  10. degree — an amount
  11. face — part of the head
  12. key — in music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. key — the most important part
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. key — for a lock
  20. hand — in cards
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. spring — of water
  24. trunk — of a tree

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