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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 116 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: mate · dip · rush · drill · trunk · mine · sharp · degree

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. drill — a practice
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. degree — from a university
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rush — hurry
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mate — a partner
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mate — to breed
  24. sharp — clever

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