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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: hand · straw · mug · bore · can · object · club · degree

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. object — a thing
  3. bore — to tire
  4. club — for golf
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mug — to rob
  7. hand — in cards
  8. can — to be able to
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. club — a group
  12. mug — a cup
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. can — a tin
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. hand — help
  17. mug — a face
  18. club — for dancing
  19. object — to protest
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. degree — from a university
  23. object — an aim
  24. can — a tin

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