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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: band · club · cell · can · racket · degree

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. club — a group
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cell — in biology
  7. band — a music group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cell — a phone
  12. band — a ring
  13. degree — from a university
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. can — a tin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. club — for golf

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