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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: mark · degree · bank · chair · sharp · lie · trunk · file

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. sharp — clever
  6. chair — a leader
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. file — a tool
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bank — for money
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a document
  17. bank — of a river
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mark — a trace
  22. lie — to recline
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mark — a grade

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