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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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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: ground · snap · cap · degree · coach · rest · row · trunk

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. cap — of ice
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cap — a lid
  11. ground — the earth
  12. degree — temperature
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ground — a position
  18. cap — a hat
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. degree — from a university
  23. row — a line
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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