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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: degree · wake · bat · trunk · staff · nail · ball · net

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ball — a great time
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wake — a trail
  10. net — in sport
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. net — after costs
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. net — for catching
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bat — the animal
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. ball — a round shape

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