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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: trunk · degree · scale · straw · fine · saw · net · spell

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. spell — a short time
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fine — all right
  5. degree — an amount
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. spell — magic
  12. fine — high quality
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. scale — in music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. net — for catching
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. degree — temperature
  19. net — after costs
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. spell — letters
  22. net — in sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. straw — a straw man

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