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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.

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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: foot · tube · lash · degree · chest · branch · trunk · wind

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. foot — a measure
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. branch — a division
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tube — a container
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chest — of your body

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