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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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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 · wave · stand · degree · straw · calf · fork · charge

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. charge — in control
  3. club — a group
  4. charge — a price
  5. club — for golf
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. degree — from a university
  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