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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: firm · swing · trunk · ground · degree · suit · spell · wind

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. swing — music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spell — letters
  8. swing — in golf
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spell — a short time
  12. suit — to fit
  13. firm — decided
  14. swing — to play on
  15. spell — magic
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. suit — clothes
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. firm — steady
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wind — moving air

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