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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: bore · can · rash · club · wake · degree · ground · chair

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. can — a tin
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bore — to tire
  5. degree — an amount
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rash — a series
  13. ground — a position
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ground — the earth
  18. club — a group
  19. chair — a leader
  20. ground — crushed
  21. can — a tin
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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