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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. degree — an amount
  4. lean — thin
  5. can — a tin
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lean — to bend
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. present — there
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. row — a line
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. present — the time now
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pop — soda
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. can — a tin
  24. present — a gift

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