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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: trunk · chip · degree · rock · last · spring · snap · mark

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. last — finally
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spring — the season
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. spring — a coil
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rock — music
  12. mark — a grade
  13. degree — temperature
  14. last — to go on
  15. spring — of water
  16. last — final
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. snap — to click
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rock — to move gently

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