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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 116 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
468
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: pop · clip · degree · race · pass · coach · bark · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. degree — from a university
  6. race — humankind
  7. pop — soda
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. degree — temperature
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. race — the arms race
  12. clip — a video
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. race — a contest
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pop — music
  24. clip — to cut

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