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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 · rest · degree · land · bass · drill · lash · foot

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. foot — a measure
  6. land — a country
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rest — a break
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — to come down
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. degree — an amount
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. drill — army training
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — ground
  23. bass — low music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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