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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: lean · lie · degree · fan · track · squash · can · club

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. club — for golf
  3. track — to keep track
  4. can — a tin
  5. track — a path
  6. squash — to crush
  7. club — a group
  8. can — a tin
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lean — thin
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. track — a song
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lie — to recline
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. club — for dancing

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