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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 · trunk · safe · ground · drill · racket · wave · branch

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. drill — army training
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. drill — a practice
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ground — crushed
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ground — a position
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. drill — the tool
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. branch — a division
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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