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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: degree · nail · tear · cell · club · staff · stock · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cell — in biology
  3. staff — employees
  4. tear — to rip
  5. club — for golf
  6. stock — goods
  7. can — a tin
  8. club — a group
  9. tear — from crying
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tear — from crying
  12. degree — temperature
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stock — shares
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cell — a phone
  19. staff — employees
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. staff — a stick
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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