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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. degree — from a university
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stock — shares
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stock — goods
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rush — hurry
  13. file — a line of people
  14. band — a ring
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. file — a document
  20. bank — for money
  21. band — a music group
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bank — of a river

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