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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 120 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: hide · degree · band · pit · foot · trunk · spring · nail

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. degree — from a university
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. degree — an amount
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. band — a ring
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. degree — temperature
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. band — a music group
  17. spring — of water
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. spring — the season
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pit — in a race
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pit — a hole

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