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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: trunk · swing · can · bay · degree · stock · cap · club

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. degree — an amount
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cap — a lid
  5. club — for golf
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cap — a hat
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. club — a group
  13. can — a tin
  14. swing — music
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. club — for dancing
  17. can — a tin
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. swing — in golf
  24. degree — from a university

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