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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 116 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — from a university
  4. can — to be able to
  5. drill — army training
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. land — ground
  8. drill — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. degree — temperature
  11. current — of water
  12. drill — a practice
  13. band — a music group
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. current — happening now
  16. branch — a division
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — an amount
  19. current — electric
  20. land — a country
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. band — a ring
  24. land — to come down

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