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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: trunk · pitcher · ground · drill · coach · hide · degree · press

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. press — a publisher
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ground — crushed
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. degree — from a university
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. drill — army training
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. press — to push
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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