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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 116 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: ground · row · trunk · board · rock · degree · last · rush

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. board — to get on
  5. degree — an amount
  6. board — a committee
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. row — to paddle
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rock — music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. degree — from a university
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rock — a stone
  17. row — a line
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. last — to go on
  20. degree — temperature
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ground — a position
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. ground — crushed

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