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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: bore · degree · trunk · roll · can · current · staff · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. can — to be able to
  3. degree — from a university
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bore — to drill
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. current — of water
  13. bore — to tire
  14. current — happening now
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. current — electric
  18. can — a tin
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. staff — employees

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