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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. degree — temperature
  3. tube — a container
  4. pop — to visit
  5. tube — the underground
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. degree — from a university
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. band — a ring
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pop — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a music group
  24. ball — a round shape

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