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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: file · club · key · nail · degree · wound · pitcher · trunk

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. file — a line of people
  5. club — a group
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — from a university
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. key — in music
  11. degree — temperature
  12. file — a tool
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. key — the most important part
  17. club — for golf
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. file — a document
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. degree — an amount
  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