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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 · degree · board · content · scale · cap · season · fork

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. degree — an amount
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. degree — temperature
  12. content — happy
  13. board — to get on
  14. season — in sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. board — a committee
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. season — of the year
  24. degree — from a university

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