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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 · squash · club · degree · calf · bulb · hand · stand

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — ground
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bulb — for light
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. club — for dancing
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. squash — to crush
  11. club — a group
  12. degree — from a university
  13. land — a country
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. club — for golf
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stand — to bear
  19. land — to come down
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. hand — help
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. degree — an amount

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