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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: net · leaves · club · bowl · rock · degree · trunk · last

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. net — for catching
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. last — finally
  6. net — after costs
  7. club — for golf
  8. net — in sport
  9. rock — a stone
  10. last — to go on
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. last — final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rock — music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bowl — a dish

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