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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lean — thin
  3. track — a song
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. date — the fruit
  9. degree — temperature
  10. band — a music group
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. degree — from a university
  13. track — to keep track
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. track — a path
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. dip — to sink
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. coach — a trainer

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