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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · degree · pound · craft · rock · wave

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. craft — a skill
  6. band — a music group
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pound — a weight
  18. band — a ring

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