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

Word bank: ruler · degree · pound · band · fall · deal

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fall — to drop
  4. degree — from a university
  5. band — a ring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — temperature
  8. band — a music group
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. degree — an amount
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fall — the season
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard

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