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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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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. band — a ring
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. band — a music group
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cap — of ice
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cap — a hat
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. band — a rubber band

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