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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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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: squash · wind · object · pop · trunk · degree · bank · bay

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pop — soda
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bank — for money
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. object — a thing
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. object — an aim
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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