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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: sharp · dip · degree · trunk · saw · straw · drill · cap

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. dip — to sink
  6. drill — army training
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cap — a hat
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cap — of ice
  19. saw — the tool
  20. drill — the tool
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. degree — from a university
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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