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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: rock · trunk · fork · rush · pound · file · degree · toast

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. file — a tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. toast — bread
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rock — a stone
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rock — music

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