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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: wind · plane · club · can · race · leaves · trunk · degree

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. degree — temperature
  3. plane — a tool
  4. club — for golf
  5. can — to be able to
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. can — a tin
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. club — for dancing
  13. race — the arms race
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. degree — from a university
  21. race — humankind
  22. club — a group
  23. race — a contest
  24. can — a tin

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