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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: band · bound · calf · degree · trunk · roll · drill · lie

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. drill — the tool
  3. degree — temperature
  4. drill — army training
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. roll — a cake
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. band — a music group
  14. bound — certain
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. drill — a practice
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bound — tied together
  23. band — a ring
  24. degree — an amount

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