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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: club · prune · cap · track · degree · leaves · can · lean

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — from a university
  3. track — a song
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cap — a lid
  6. track — to keep track
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. club — for dancing
  9. degree — an amount
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cap — of ice
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lean — thin
  16. club — a group
  17. track — a path
  18. lean — to bend
  19. club — for golf
  20. prune — to trim
  21. can — a tin
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cap — a hat
  24. can — to be able to

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