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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. saw — the tool
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. object — to protest
  6. bear — the animal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. object — a thing
  9. band — a music group
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a ring
  12. degree — from a university
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. object — an aim
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. jam — a tight spot

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