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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bank — for money
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rash — hasty
  7. band — a music group
  8. ground — a position
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bound — certain
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bank — for money
  17. cap — of ice
  18. ground — the earth
  19. degree — temperature
  20. band — a ring
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bound — tied together

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