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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: lie · cell · degree · straw · staff · trunk · pound · current

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. current — happening now
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cell — in biology
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cell — a phone
  11. staff — employees
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. current — electric
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lie — to recline
  20. staff — employees
  21. degree — from a university
  22. staff — a stick
  23. current — of water
  24. pound — to hit hard

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