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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: trunk · wake · sharp · hand · bulb · degree · bore · craft

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. sharp — clever
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. hand — in cards
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bore — to tire
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. craft — boats
  23. wake — a trail
  24. hand — help

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