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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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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: file · jam · lash · degree · trunk · bay · cell · cabinet

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. file — a tool
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cell — a phone
  7. degree — from a university
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. file — a document
  17. cell — in biology
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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