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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: leaves · spell · degree · trunk · pound · drill · present · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. spell — letters
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. present — a gift
  6. spell — magic
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. degree — an amount
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. drill — the tool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. present — the time now
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bass — low music
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pound — a weight
  21. drill — army training
  22. present — there
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bass — the fish

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