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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 · mine · ball · net · rock · mouse · straw · trunk

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. net — after costs
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. net — for catching
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. net — in sport
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rock — music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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