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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: ground · wound · foot · trunk · cabinet · rock · snap · degree

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ground — a position
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. degree — temperature
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. snap — to click
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wound — an injury
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. ground — crushed

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