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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: degree · trunk · bank · lean · wax · capital · arm · race

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. capital — money
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. degree — from a university
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wax — to grow
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. capital — a city
  11. lean — thin
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bank — for money
  15. race — the arms race
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bank — of a river
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bank — for money

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