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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 116 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: row · race · spring · tube · sharp · degree · trunk · mug

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spring — of water
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. race — a contest
  6. spring — a coil
  7. degree — from a university
  8. race — humankind
  9. row — to paddle
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spring — the season
  12. mug — a face
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tube — a container
  15. race — the arms race
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mug — to rob
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. row — a line
  21. mug — a cup
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. sharp — exactly

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