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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 120 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: bear · rash · degree · track · present · temple · band · cell

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. present — the time now
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bear — the animal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bear — the animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. present — a gift
  13. rash — a series
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rash — hasty
  16. present — there
  17. track — to keep track
  18. degree — temperature
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. track — a song
  21. cell — a phone
  22. band — a ring
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. cell — in biology

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