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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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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: race · firm · nail · trunk · wake · degree · coach · pass

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. firm — steady
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. firm — a company
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. firm — decided
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. race — a contest
  20. pass — a permit
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. coach — a trainer

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