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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: wake · season · object · tear · club · degree · pit · jam

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. season — in sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. season — of the year
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. club — for dancing
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. club — for golf
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wake — a trail
  23. object — to protest
  24. club — a group

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