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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. charge — in control
  6. degree — an amount
  7. band — a ring
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bulb — for light
  14. charge — electricity
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bank — for money
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — help
  22. charge — a price
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. degree — temperature

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