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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: staff · cell · degree · club · board · bulb · race · tube

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. staff — employees
  3. club — a group
  4. tube — the underground
  5. degree — from a university
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — to get on
  8. staff — employees
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. staff — a stick
  12. race — a contest
  13. cell — in biology
  14. board — a committee
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. cell — a phone
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — a container
  20. race — humankind
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. degree — temperature
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. race — the arms race

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