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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: trunk · mark · lean · mate · cell · wax · ball · degree

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mark — a grade
  11. degree — an amount
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cell — in biology
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lean — thin
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lean — to rest against

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