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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: degree · trunk · fall · clip · cap · charge · arm · kid

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. charge — a price
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — in control
  6. cap — of ice
  7. degree — temperature
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fall — the season
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. charge — electricity
  13. clip — a video
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. clip — for paper
  17. degree — from a university
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. clip — to cut
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fall — to drop

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