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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 · rush · suit · degree · mine · calf · shower · firm

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mine — for digging
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. firm — decided
  7. degree — an amount
  8. suit — to fit
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. suit — in cards
  11. firm — a company
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. suit — clothes
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. shower — rain
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rush — hurry
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. firm — steady

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