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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. band — a ring
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. kick — in football
  19. tube — a container
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tube — the underground
  22. degree — an amount
  23. row — a line
  24. band — a music group

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