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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: ball · press · pitcher · roll · object · degree · band · temple

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — temperature
  5. band — a music group
  6. object — an aim
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — newspapers
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. roll — a cake
  13. degree — from a university
  14. roll — a list
  15. object — a thing
  16. ball — a great time
  17. degree — an amount
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. press — to push
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. object — to protest
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ball — a dance
  24. temple — side of the head

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