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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: stem · club · degree · tube · face · racket · mark · rash

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tube — a container
  10. club — a group
  11. rash — hasty
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rash — a series
  16. club — for golf
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stem — to come from
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. face — to confront

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