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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: degree · pop · rash · calf · straw · tube · dip · trunk

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. tube — a container
  4. dip — to sink
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rash — hasty
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. tube — the underground
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rash — a series
  19. pop — music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pop — to visit
  24. straw — dry grass

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