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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: bore · fall · bank · roll · degree · face · staff · trunk

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. degree — temperature
  3. staff — a stick
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fall — the season
  6. bank — for money
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. face — to point toward
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bank — for money
  12. bore — to drill
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — of a river
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bore — to tire
  18. face — to confront
  19. roll — a list
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fall — to drop
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. degree — from a university
  24. staff — employees

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