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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: last · degree · foot · nail · stem · drill · trunk · jam

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. last — finally
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. drill — the tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. last — final
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. drill — army training
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. foot — a measure
  18. degree — an amount
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. drill — a practice
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. last — to go on

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