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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: chest · trunk · season · degree · leaves · mine · ruler · current

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. degree — temperature
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. degree — an amount
  8. current — happening now
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. current — of water
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. current — electric
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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