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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
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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: degree · trunk · file · bound · cue · land · can · chip

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. land — a country
  10. chip — for betting
  11. degree — an amount
  12. land — ground
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. can — to be able to
  16. file — a tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. land — to come down
  20. file — a document
  21. chip — to eat
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bound — tied together
  24. file — a line of people

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