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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. degree — temperature
  3. present — the time now
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a line of people
  6. can — a tin
  7. present — a gift
  8. bore — to tire
  9. degree — an amount
  10. band — a music group
  11. file — a tool
  12. bank — for money
  13. net — after costs
  14. bank — of a river
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. degree — from a university
  22. present — there
  23. file — a document
  24. bore — to drill

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