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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. saw — the tool
  4. band — a ring
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hand — help
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rock — music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. band — a music group
  19. degree — an amount
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cap — a hat
  24. hand — in cards

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