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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 120 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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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 · firm · ground · stem · bowl · hand · tube · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ground — a position
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hand — help
  5. firm — decided
  6. tube — the underground
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ground — the earth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. firm — a company
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. tube — a container
  17. hand — in cards
  18. degree — an amount
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. degree — from a university
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. firm — steady
  24. bowl — a dish

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