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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · trunk · wind · nail · last · rush · degree · arm

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. squash — to crush
  8. degree — from a university
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. last — to go on
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — finally
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. last — final
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wind — moving air
  21. squash — the sport
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wind — to turn a key

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