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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 120 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
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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: mine · deal · lie · mouse · trunk · pop · degree · content

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — for digging
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pop — to visit
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pop — soda
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pop — music

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