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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bank — of a river
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. degree — from a university
  6. chair — a leader
  7. degree — temperature
  8. can — a tin
  9. field — a subject
  10. can — a tin
  11. field — for sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — farmland
  14. pop — music
  15. band — a music group
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. can — to be able to
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pop — soda
  23. bank — for money
  24. band — a ring

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