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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: dip · trunk · bass · pop · stick · degree · mug · cell

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. dip — to sink
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pop — soda
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pop — music
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. bass — low music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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