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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: degree · rash · cue · trunk · cabinet · pop · hide · roll

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. degree — temperature
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. roll — a cake
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. cue — for pool
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cue — a hint
  21. roll — a list
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cabinet — ministers

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