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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · trunk · squash · face · pitcher · degree · ground · lean

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lean — thin
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. squash — the sport
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. face — part of the head
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. face — to confront
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. face — to point toward

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