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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. season — in sport
  4. band — a ring
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. band — a music group
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. club — for dancing
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. degree — an amount
  17. season — of the year
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. club — a group
  22. foot — a measure
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. club — for golf

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