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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: foot · club · degree · bank · mug · pitcher · track · stem

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. mug — a face
  2. club — for dancing
  3. track — a path
  4. bank — of a river
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. club — a group
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — an amount
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mug — to rob
  14. track — to keep track
  15. club — for golf
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mug — a cup
  21. track — a song
  22. bank — for money
  23. stem — to come from
  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