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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: bear · plane · rock · degree · bat · trunk · wound · bass

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bass — low music
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bat — the animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rock — music
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rock — a stone
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bear — the animal
  24. plane — an aircraft

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