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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: cap · sharp · cell · tube · spell · degree · trunk · drill

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cap — of ice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. drill — a practice
  8. tube — a container
  9. degree — an amount
  10. drill — army training
  11. cell — in biology
  12. degree — from a university
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spell — magic
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. spell — letters
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cap — a hat

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