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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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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: kick · land · trunk · chest · degree · bay · branch · wax

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. degree — an amount
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chest — of your body
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. degree — temperature
  11. land — ground
  12. kick — in football
  13. degree — from a university
  14. branch — a division
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. land — to come down
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. land — a country
  24. wax — for sculpting

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