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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 120 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 · degree · prune · deal · straw · foot · sharp · drill

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. degree — temperature
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. degree — from a university
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. drill — army training
  8. degree — an amount
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — the tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. deal — to handle
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. drill — a practice
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. foot — a measure

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