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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: land · leaves · degree · drill · club · cap · trunk · kick

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. land — a country
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kick — in football
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cap — a hat
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. degree — from a university
  12. drill — the tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. club — for dancing
  15. degree — an amount
  16. club — for golf
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. drill — army training
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. leaves — to go away

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