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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 120 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 · hand · ground · press · degree · cabinet · coach · calf

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. ground — the earth
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hand — in cards
  11. press — newspapers
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. ground — a position
  15. press — a publisher
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. degree — from a university
  20. press — to push
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ground — crushed
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cabinet — ministers

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