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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: rock · bore · pitch · trunk · race · degree · file · wake

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. file — a tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bore — to tire
  10. degree — from a university
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. race — a contest
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pitch — completely
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rock — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. race — humankind
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. file — a document
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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