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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 · perch · chip · trunk · bound · calf · rush · arm

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chip — to eat
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rush — hurry
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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