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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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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: scale · chest · foot · bound · fan · degree · mug · trunk

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. degree — from a university
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mug — a face
  5. degree — temperature
  6. chest — a box
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mug — a cup
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bound — certain
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bound — obliged
  20. degree — an amount
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. scale — in music
  24. chest — of your body

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