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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: trunk · stand · mine · fall · staff · degree · tube · sharp

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stand — to bear
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. tube — the underground
  8. staff — employees
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — employees
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. fall — the season
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tube — a container
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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