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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: hand · foot · trunk · fall · bass · pound · degree · calf

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. fall — the season
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. hand — in cards
  5. degree — from a university
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fall — to drop
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pound — a weight
  21. hand — help
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fall — to drop

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