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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: tube · dip · ground · trunk · degree · stem · pop · scale

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — to visit
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ground — crushed
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pop — music
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. degree — an amount
  10. scale — in music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pop — soda
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. ground — a position
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. degree — from a university

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