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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: fan · nail · foot · stand · trunk · degree · bore · scale

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. foot — a measure
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — temperature
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. foot — the bottom

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