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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: net · trunk · toast · rush · ground · can · degree · straw

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. net — after costs
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. can — a tin
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. toast — bread
  13. rush — hurry
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ground — crushed
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. can — a tin
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. can — to be able to
  21. net — for catching
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. net — in sport
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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