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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. root — the cause
  3. degree — temperature
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. band — a music group
  7. squash — the sport
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. root — of a plant
  11. degree — an amount
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — tied together
  17. band — a ring
  18. root — of a word
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bound — certain
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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