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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 116 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: bank · pound · ball · content · trunk · degree · file · nail

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bank — of a river
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — an amount
  7. ball — a dance
  8. file — a tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. content — happy
  12. bank — for money
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pound — a weight
  19. file — a document
  20. bank — for money
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. content — the amount
  24. trunk — of a tree

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