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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stand — to bear
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. swing — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. ground — crushed
  9. deal — to handle
  10. object — to protest
  11. swing — in golf
  12. ground — a position
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. club — for golf
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. ground — the earth
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. object — a thing
  22. degree — from a university
  23. object — an aim
  24. club — for dancing

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