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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 · cell · degree · safe · craft · lie

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lie — to recline
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cell — in biology
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. degree — temperature
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — a phone
  18. craft — a skill

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