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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 116 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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468
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 · track · bulb · wound · craft · land · club · hand

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wound — an injury
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. track — a song
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. track — to keep track
  12. craft — a skill
  13. land — a country
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. land — ground
  17. bulb — for light
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hand — help
  20. track — a path
  21. hand — in cards
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wound — an injury

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