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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: mug · spring · degree · bass · squash · trunk · sharp · arm

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mug — to rob
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. degree — an amount
  8. sharp — clever
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. spring — the season
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bass — the fish
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. degree — temperature
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mug — a face
  24. squash — the vegetable

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