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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: capital · degree · cell · track · can · branch · club · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — an amount
  4. can — a tin
  5. kick — in football
  6. degree — from a university
  7. track — a song
  8. club — a group
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. track — a path
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cell — in biology
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cell — a phone
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. club — for golf
  22. track — to keep track
  23. branch — a division
  24. degree — temperature

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