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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: degree · cap · key · toast · tube · band · branch · pound

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. band — a music group
  3. tube — a container
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. key — the most important part
  6. toast — bread
  7. key — for a lock
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cap — a lid
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pound — a weight
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. band — a ring
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. key — in music

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