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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: bark · cell · wave · foot · can · club · degree · court

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. court — of law
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. degree — temperature
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. bark — to shout
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of a king
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cell — a phone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. court — for sport

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