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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.

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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 · track · trunk · mate · prune · pitch · kick · staff

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. kick — in football
  5. mate — a partner
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. degree — from a university
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mate — to breed
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mate — a friend
  22. staff — a stick
  23. degree — an amount
  24. staff — employees

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