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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bound — certain
  4. degree — from a university
  5. band — a ring
  6. bound — obliged
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. root — of a plant
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitch — completely
  17. tube — a container
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. degree — an amount
  20. band — a music group
  21. bound — tied together
  22. drill — army training
  23. root — of a word
  24. drill — a practice

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