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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
468
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: degree · shower · trunk · coach · bulb · snap · roll · fork

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fork — in a road
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. roll — a list
  12. bulb — for light
  13. degree — an amount
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. shower — to wash
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. shower — rain
  20. bulb — for light
  21. roll — a cake
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. trunk — of a tree

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