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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: mouse · dip · track · spell · wake · trunk · degree · charge

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. degree — an amount
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. charge — in control
  7. spell — magic
  8. wake — a trail
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. charge — a price
  11. track — to keep track
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. track — a path
  14. charge — electricity
  15. dip — to sink
  16. track — a song
  17. spell — letters
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spell — a short time

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