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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: coach · degree · trunk · cabinet · lie · pound · mug · pitcher

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pound — a weight
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lie — to recline
  11. degree — from a university
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mug — a face
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cabinet — ministers

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