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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 120 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: degree · bark · field · chair · prune · racket · club · tube

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. degree — temperature
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tube — the underground
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. club — for golf
  12. field — a subject
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. club — a group
  18. degree — an amount
  19. field — for sport
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tube — a container
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chair — a leader
  24. field — farmland

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